The unheralded Wilson appeared to buckle Navarrete in the first round but I wasn't sure if Navarrete was stung or may have just stumbled with Wilson's feet getting caught up with his own.
That was nothing compared to the surprise that awaited when Wilson smacked Navarrete with a left hook that would shortly result in a knockdown in round four.
The heavy favorite had never been on the floor in his career and as he staggered to his feet, he spat out his mouthpiece and gained plenty of recovery time (up to twenty-seven seconds, according to a protest from Wilson's team) to survive the remaining few seconds in the round.
Wilson pressed Navarrete in the fifth but as the round progressed, Navarrete began to clear his head and Wilson's best chance for a huge upset had passed.
Navarrete did get hit again with a strong left hook in the sixth but controlled the seventh and eighth rounds before the final round with Wilson on his feet but badly hurt and with a nose that was streaming blood before the fight was decided.
Navarrete led on all three cards (77-74 x2 and 76-75), while I had Wilson leading 76-75 at the time of the fight's conclusion.
No one had an issue with the stoppage but plenty had problems with the referee in the fourth round.
The protest will go nowhere as these things usually don't but I wouldn't be surprised if the WBO didn't order a rematch for Wilson.
That's far from a guarantee but a possibility and even though Navarrete emerges with the title, the WBO still has a mess in the division.
Navarrete has 30 days to decide if he will keep the junior lightweight title or return to the featherweight division and keep that crown, Wilson could be in line for a mandated rematch, Oscar Valdez is in the picture as the original and planned future opponent and that's before we touch the number one contender Archie Sharp.
In the junior welterweight co-feature, undefeated contender Arnold Barboza earned the biggest victory of his career with a unanimous decision over former junior lightweight and lightweight champion Jose Pedraza.
No knockdowns scored but the stronger Barboza landed more and hit Pedraza with the stronger punches.
Barboza was the winner at 96-94 x2 and 97-93, while I saw the fight a bit wider at 98-92 for Barboza.
Barboza could be in line for a title shot or even a chance at former lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
As for Pedraza, he was very game in defeat but he is on the verge of becoming a gatekeeper in the division and soon to be 34, the Sniper's days at the top of the division appear to be passed.
Boxing Challenge
No comments:
Post a Comment