Emanuel Navarrete vs Charley Suarez result has no been overturned from a Technical Decision win to a No Contest by the California State Athletic Commission on June 2nd, 2025.
The WBO have ordered an immediate rematch also.
Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete returned to Pechanga Arena San Diego in May looking to deliver a win to his fans. He got the victory, just not the way he imagined it, and not permanently either.
Navarrete initially retained his WBO junior lightweight world title via an eighth-round technical decision victory over unbeaten Filipino contender Charly Suarez.
The fight was halted early due to a cut over Navarrete’s left eye, which referee Edward Collantes ruled was caused by an accidental headbutt.
The champion Navarrete prevailed by scores of 77-76 2x and 78-75.
He said after the fight, “From the first moment of the impact, I knew it was a headbutt. It split my eyebrow completely, and from the first moment I noticed it was a headbutt.”
However, it was revealed soon after that the laceration was caused by a legitimate punch from Suarez, who momentarily lost his unbeaten status to 18-1, 10 KOs.
If this information had been known during the contest, then Suarez would have been declared the winner by TKO, as Navarrete was ruled unable to continue by the ringside physician.
Navarrete has gone from being declared the winner to realising he should have actually lost, to escaping with an No Contest that means he retains his world title.
During the dramatic fight, Navarrete came out firing, launching wild right hands and signature leaping left hooks that bloodied Suarez’s nose as early as the opening round.
Suarez, a 2016 Olympian, found moments of success, sometimes landing on Navarrete’s head and sometimes just on his gloves.
Navarrete was inflicted with the cut in the sixth stanza, and the two continued to trade heavy shots during the seventh, as the defending Mexican began to bleed profusely. The ringside physician waved it off just after bell sounded to start round eight.
36-year-old Suarez initially accepted the loss, “Right now I’m sad, but that is part of the game. I would like to make a rematch. I want a rematch with Navarrete.”
The “King’s Warrior” Suarez will get the rematch he called for and so clearly deserves, as the rightful winner of the bout.
Navarrete is on medical suspension until July 9, so the rematch could take place anytime from then.
