Californian Joet Gonzalez 24-1 (14) will get his second chance at a world title when he faces WBO featherweight champion Emanuel ‘Vaquero’ Navarrete 34-1 (29) at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on October 15.
The 27-year-old was unsuccessful in his last bid for the same title when Shakur Stevenson 16-0 (8) widely outpointed him in Reno two years ago.
“I am excited and thankful to receive a second world title opportunity, this time against a great Mexican warrior like Navarrete,” Gonzalez said.
“I know I have what it takes to become a world champion and I will show the world that on October 15. No disrespect to Navarrete, but this is my time.”
Mexico’s Navarrete, 26, first came to prominence with his back-to-back wins over then-rising star Isaac Dogboe 22-2 (15) to claim and then defend the WBO super bantamweight title.
He would defend the belt a further four times before moving his 5-foot-7 frame up to featherweight last year where he defeated southpaw Ruben Villa 18-1 (5) for the vacant WBO 126-pound crown.
In his most recent fight in April, Navarrete stopped Puerto Rican Christopher Diaz 26-3 (16) in the 12th round in Kissimmee, Florida.
“I am focused on winning this fight and defending my world title for the second time,” Navarrete said.
“I know that Joet Gonzalez is a good fighter. I respect him and he is also my mandatory challenger, but I am the champion and I will show him why. This belt isn’t going anywhere.
“I hope that my Mexican fans will support me in San Diego and my fans from Tijuana can also come to the fight. I will give them a great fight and it will be a great victory for all my Mexican people.”
They say that styles make fights and Frank Espinoza agrees. Gonzalez’s manager is of the firm belief that the pairing of his fighter with Navarrete will deliver nothing short of an instant classic.
“I’m not taking anything away from Navarrete,” Espinoza said to Fightnews. “He’s a good champion, he has an awkward style and that makes him dangerous.
“He can punch but so does Joet, who is a well-rounded fighter. He wants to make a statement in this fight and does not take Navarrete lightly.
“Joet and Navarrete will create a classic fight, a war inside that ring.
“This potentially could be a Fight of the Year candidate. I’m pretty sure it will be a phone booth brawl. The fans will be the winners.
“It will be a tremendous event, a fight to remember. I know Navarrete is putting in the work, but my guy Joet is working hard in the gym too. Both will create magic inside that ring.”
Navarrete-Gonzalez will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ starting at approximately 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT. The fight is promoted by Top Rank, in association with Golden Boy Promotions. Tickets starting at $55 go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. PT and can be purchased by visiting AXS.com.
