Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez both say they have something to prove Saturday when they meet for the WBO junior lightweight title in a 12-round boxing main event. Navarrete’s first title defense anchors the main Navarrete vs. Valdez fight card (8 p.m. ET) from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Navarrete won the vacant title, his third division belt overall, in February but struggled against fringe contender Liam Wilson, leading many observers to wonder whether he can excel at this division. Valdez is just one fight removed from his first career loss but is determined to rebound by becoming a three-division champion with a victory Saturday.
Valdez is a -190 favorite (risk $190 to win $100), while Navarrete comes back at +160 in the latest Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez odds. The over/under for total rounds completed is 10.5, with the Over priced at -300 and the Under fetching a price of +220. Before making any Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez picks, make sure you see the boxing predictions and betting advice from SportsLine analyst Peter Kahn.
Kahn is a true boxing insider who has his finger on the pulse of what’s going on inside and outside of the ring. He has managed numerous world champions and currently manages 20 fighters through his company, Fight Game Advisors. Kahn recently won the 2022 Boxing Writers Association of America Cus D’Amato Manager of the Year award and was named to the 2023 Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.
Kahn is uncanny when it comes to picking fights. He is an astounding 42-13 on his last 55 SportsLine boxing picks, returning nearly $4,000 to $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him has already seen massive returns.
Now, with Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez in sight, Kahn has studied the matchup from every angle and released confident picks for the fight. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez preview
Valdez has maintained that a big part of his motivation from Saturday’s fight stems from the notion that losing his undefeated record doesn’t necessarily have to be crippling for his career.
Valdez started his career with 30 consecutive victories and two division championships while hardly being challenged in the process. But that streak came to an end in April of last year when he dropped the WBC super featherweight title to Shakur Stevenson, who won by unanimous decision and now holds two of the four major belts.
Stevenson is now considered one of boxing’s rising stars and is on the fringes in most pound-for-pound rankings. Valdez recently told the media he was stung by the loss but is determined to prevent it from defining his career.
“This is something very personal that I have. I want to come back and make a statement. I want to show that losing your undefeated record doesn’t mean the end of your career,” Valdez said.
Concerns about a potential lack of size at junior lightweight appeared to come to fruition for Navarrete when he faced Wilson, a relatively obscure Australian prospect who stepped in on short notice in February after Valdez withdrew because of an injury.
Navarrete was expected to make quick work of Wilson, who closed as at least a 10/1 underdog at most sportsbooks after opening as an even bigger longshot. But Wilson appeared to be the physically bigger and stronger fighter. He floored Navarrete in the fourth round with what was more than just a flash knockdown. The underdog landed a series of clean, powerful left hands that stunned the favorite, and sent him to the canvas with a powerful shot that appeared to have fight-ending force.
Navarrete barely answered the prolonged count and went on to stop Wilson in the ninth round of their wildly entertaining brawl. In preparation for Saturday’s showdown, Navarette hired a strength and conditioning coach for the first time in his career.
“This fight with Valdez merited that change, and I will come into this fight much better physically,” Navarrete told the media. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez picks
Kahn likes the Over 10.5 rounds. He’s also locked in two other best bets, including a strong money-line pick and a plus-mony method-of-victory prop. You can only see those selections at SportsLine.
Who wins Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez, and which prop is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Peter Kahn’s best bets for Saturday, all from the boxing specialist who has netted his followers a profit of nearly $4,000, and find out.
