Emanuel Navarrete and Ruben Villa are set for action tonight on ESPN, with the vacant WBO featherweight title at stake in their 12-round main event.
Coverage will start at 7:30 pm ET with prelims streaming on ESPN+, and move to ESPN at 10:00 pm ET. We’ll be here with updates and results for all of it, so join the conversation in the comments!
The 25-year-old Navarrete is coming up from 122 pounds, where he held the WBO belt, while the 23-year-old Villa is coming up in competition from a run on ShoBox: The New Generation, where he became a reliable, top-end performer for the prospect series.
How to Watch Navarrete vs Villa
Date: Friday, Oct. 9 | Start Time: 10:00 pm ET (Main Card) / 7:30 pm ET (Prelims)
Location: MGM Top Rank Bubble, Las Vegas, NV
TV: ESPN (Main Card) | Stream: ESPN+ (Prelims)
The card will also feature returns for middleweight Janibek Alimkhanuly, junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez, middleweight Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson, and junior lightweight Bryan Lua, among others. Rodriguez and Lua have been standouts in Top Rank’s “Bubble” this year, we’ll see if they keep their impressive runs going.
Prelims (ESPN+, 7:30 pm ET)
- Elvis Rodriguez (9-0-1, 9 KO) vs Cameron Krael (17-16-3, 4 KO), junior welterweights, 8 rounds
- Lorenzo Simpson (8-0, 5 KO) vs Sonny Duversonne (11-0-2, 8 KO), junior middleweights, 8 rounds
- Bryan Lua (6-0, 3 KO) vs Nelson Colon (4-3, 3 KO), junior lightweights, 6 rounds
- Rashiem Jefferson (2-0, 0 KO) vs Steve Garagarza, 2-2-1, 1 KO), junior featherweights, 4 rounds
- Kahshad Elliott (debut) vs Akeem Jackson (1-1, 1 KO), junior middleweights, 4 rounds
Main Card (ESPN, 10:00 pm ET)
- Emanuel Navarrete (31-1, 27 KO) vs Ruben Villa (18-0, 5 KO), featherweights, 12 rounds
- Janibek Alimkhanuly (8-0, 4 KO) vs Gonzalo Coria (16-3, 6 KO), middleweights, 10 rounds