Eduardo “Sugar” Nuñez and Emanuel Navarrete will take their act to another part of town.
BoxingScene has learned that the attractive IBF/WBO 130lbs unification bout remains on course for the greater Phoenix area, though no longer specifically in the city. Instead, the event will be bumped up one week to February 28 and shifted to Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Nuñez-Navarrete was previously targeted for March 7 at Mortgage Matchup Center, home to the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. A definitive reason was not given for the change in scenery, other than the suggestion that plans for the bout – while agreed to in principle – was not yet finalized at the time.
The new location still provides a familiar backdrop for Navarrete, 39-2-1 (32 KOs). Nunez, 30-1 (28 KOs), fights in the greater Phoenix area for the first time.
Navarrete’s title reign began at Desert Diamond Arena, when he climbed off the canvas to knock out Australia’s Liam Wilson in the ninth round of their thriller in February 2023.
Navarrete returned to the venue for his first title defense – a competitive but clear 12-round, unanimous decision victory over the former two-division champ Oscar Valdez in August 2023.
The 30-year-old, three-division titlist from San Juan Zitlaltepec will enter his fifth title defense, though the balance of his reign has produced mixed results. His lone victory over his past four fights was a repeat conquering of Valdez, whom he battered and knocked out in the sixth round of their rematch in December 2024 at Mortgage Matchup Center, branded at the time as Footprint Center.
That win came seven months after his 12-round, split decision defeat by Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO 135lbs title in May 2024 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. Six months prior to his failed bid to become a four-division titlist, Navarrete fought to a 12-round, majority draw with Robson Conceicao in Las Vegas.
In his most recent start Navarrete defended his WBO 130lbs title against the unbeaten Charly Suarez in what was eventually ruled a no contest. Their clash in May – also at Pechanga Arena – was originally ruled a technical decision win for Navarrete, due to an in-ring ruling that a cut he suffered was caused by a headbutt. He led on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
The in-ring ruling and verdict sparked immediate debate. Chief among the outrage was, of course, Suarez’s team, who argued that their fighter was cheated out of a stoppage win that would have earned him the WBO 130lbs title.
An appeal was filed by Suarez, who successfully had the verdict nullified upon review from the California State Athletic Commission. An immediate rematch was ordered soon thereafter by the WBO, though weeks went by without any real update.
One emerged during the annual WBO convention in Bogota, Colombia. The ratings portion of the convention – which was held on October 31 – called for an update on Navarrete’s next title fight, as it was already long rumored that he would next face Nunez.
The two sides were given until November 15 to finalize terms before the WBO would intervene and put the Navarrete-Suarez rematch back in play. The only hold up was proper step-aside compensation for Suarez, a hurdle that was cleared soon thereafter.
Nuñez-Navarrete first gained traction when the two met in the ring after Nuñez’s decision win over Christopher Diaz in his hometown of Los Mochis, Mexico in September.
Nuñez lodged the first defense of the IBF title with that win, less than four months after he outpointed Masanori Rikiishi in May in Yokohama, Japan.
A unification bout was long-sought by Navarrete, a three-division titleholder who was denied the opportunity at 122lbs and 126lbs. His title reign seemed resigned to the same fate until Top Rank and Matchroom Boxing – Nuñez’s co-promoter along with BXSTRS – discussed the possibility of this fight.
The change in location is a win for the Desert Diamond Arena. This event will mark the first boxing card for the intimate venue since a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN show headlined by Tijuana’s Jaime Munguia in September 2024.
Top Rank and Matchroom have separately promoted the past six boxing events to take place at this venue and fittingly join forces to continue that streak with this highly anticipated clash.
