Boxing Challenge: Navarrete nails Nunez

      Entering Saturday's junior lightweight title unification match in Glendale, Arizona, most believed it had fight-of-the-year potential, and while it may have fallen short of that status, it was an exciting scrap.

IBF champion Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez was a slight favorite at the start of the fight, but he gave away the first four rounds to WBO boss Emanuel Navarrete in a manner that one would expect from a fan rather than a champion.

An overly respectful Nunez fell behind and never caught up as the larger and more powerful Navarrete backed Nunez up, closed his right eye, and in the tenth, busted the swelling open in gruesome fashion and forced the fight to be stopped before the start of the eleventh round.

Navarrete was the bigger man, the bigger puncher, and for a fighter known for his eccentric style, Navarrete showed some skills that he hadn't in previous fights.

Nunez showed heart and a good chin, but this is the type of battering that can ruin careers, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in his next outing.

Navarrete is now likely to meet Charly Suarez in a WBO-mandated rematch.

Suarez cut Navarrete with a punch in their first fight, but the cut was ruled to be from a butt and would go to the scorecards with Navarrete winning a close technical decision in the eighth round.

Suarez's appeal was successful, and the fight was changed to a no-contest with a rematch ordered.

Suarez accepted step-aside money to allow Navarrete to unify against Nunez, so the rematch will either be next or Navarrete will give up the WBO belt.

In the other challenge bout, veteran Abel Ramos continued his late career comeback with a split decision win over formerly unbeaten Tahmir Smalls.

Smalls led early, Ramos took over late in an entertaining fight.

I had it closer than the judges (96-94 for Ramos) did: 98-92 and 97-93, with the dissenting judge for Smalls at 96-94.

Ramos will likely move into a welterweight eliminator, while Smalls didn't hurt himself in defeat.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica:  25 Pts(3)

Vince Samano: 23 Pts (0)

TRS: 21 Pts (1)

Boxing Challenge: Navarrete slips by Suarez

   The boxing weekend didn't see any major upsets, but the action was pretty good, with a little controversy as well.

In the only title match, Emanuel Navarrete retained his WBO junior lightweight title with a technical decision at the end of round seven over Charly Suarez in San Diego.

In a nip and tuck battle, the beginning of the sixth round saw Suarez land a hard left hand and then graze Navarrete's head with his own.

As the fighters separated, Navarrete bled profusely from a cut over his eye, which the referee ruled was from a headbutt.

The fight was stopped before the start of round eight and moved to the scorecards with Navarrete winning by 68-65 and 67-66 times two (my score agreed with the latter).

California uses instant replay, so they could have changed the ruling, but said the replay was inconclusive.

If the cut had been ruled by the punch landed by Suarez, the halting of the fight would have given the win and the championship to Suarez.

The fight was close and hard fought, and Suarez deserves a rematch under the circumstances, but it may not happen as Navarrete needed six (yes, six) tries to make the division limit, and he might be forced to move up in weight.

Should Navarrete decide to move up, I hope the WBO places Suarez in the fight to fill the vacated title; he deserves that, at least.

In the co-feature, Raymond Muratalla won a unanimous decision over a tough but outgunned Zair Abdullaev.

No knockdowns, but Abdullaev's face was bruised and swollen after the bout, and Muratalla was way too much for Abdullaev.

Muratalla won by scores of 119-109 times two and 118-110; my score was 119-109.

Muratalla won the IBF interim lightweight title, and while I normally hate interim titles, this is a situation that is acceptable with champion Vasyl Lomachenko idle for a year, doesn't have a fight in the works, and is considering retirement.

If Lomachenko returns to the ring, he must face Muratalla, and should he decide to retire, Muratalla will be installed as the full champion.

Earlier in the day, from Nottingham, England, former IBF junior lightweight champion Anthony Cacace stopped former WBA featherweight titleholder in the ninth round when Wood's corner tossed in the towel of their surrender, with their men taking a beating.

Cacace scored a technical knockdown early in the ninth when only the ropes allowed Wood to remain standing.

As the round progressed, Wood fought back, but Cacace hurt Wood again, and on unsteady legs and with Cacace in pursuit, the Wood corner made the decision to stop the fight.

In Equatorial Guinea, Souleymane Cissokho won a unanimous decision over Egidijus Kavaliauskas in a WBC welterweight eliminator.

Cissokho was dropped in the second and fifth rounds, but otherwise managed to box and move his way through the fight.

Scores for Cissokho at 114-112 (same as mine), 115-111, and 116-110, who will now be the mandatory contender for WBC champion Mario Barrios.

I'll be back Monday with the two remaining bouts over the weekend, which I've been unable to watch yet.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 72 Pts (4)

Ramon Malpica: 70 Pts ( 5)

Vince Samano: 30 Pts (0)