What was expected to be a very close fight ended Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona, when Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete dismantled Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez.
Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KO) dominated Nunez to unify the WBO and IBF junior lightweight titles with an 11th-round TKO victory. Referee Benjamin Rodriguez stopped the fight on the orders of the ringside doctor due to Nunez’s swollen right eye.
After taking control of the early rounds of the fight, Navarrete, the No. 1 ranked junior lightweight by ESPN, began his demolition work in the seventh round. He was faster and punished the sixth-placed Nunez, at will, to the body and head, while Nunez desperately searched for a miracle punch.
In the ninth round, Nunez’s right eye was completely closed, and Navarrete was in full control of the fight at medium and long distances, and even at close range.
Navarrete, who is friends with Nunez, said after the fight that he never thought about being fired. In the fight, he landed 182 of 381 power punches (48%).
“It’s demanding to see your opponent hurt, but it’s also really demanding not to keep fighting and not win the fight,” Navarrete said in a post-fight interview. “You never know what might happen in those last rounds. He might catch you with one shot and it might be over. So I had to keep working to do my part.”
Although Nunez and his corner wanted to continue the fight, the doctor decided to stop the fight.
“I would like to quit, but I respect the decision to protect my health,” Nunez said. “I was wondering [Navarrete] toughest fighter weighing 130 pounds. I’m his fan. I follow his career and admire him.”
Navarrete, who has fought just once in 2025 – a no-contest fight against Charly Suarez in May – looked sharper, faster and much stronger.
The division’s other two champions, O’Shaquie Foster (WBC) and Lamont Roach (WBA), are options for Navarrete, but the novel unified champion said he wants to celebrate Saturday’s victory and rest before deciding on his next fight.
“It’s very early to think about it right now,” Navarrete said. “I just want to relax a bit, relax and just enjoy life [the victory]. I think that in the coming days, when there will be peace and I will have time to rest, I will decide what to do next. But that’s not what I’m thinking about right now.”