THE California State Athletic Commission is set to overturn the controversial unanimous technical decision win by Mexican World Boxing Organization junior lightweight champ Emanuel Navarrete against Filipino challenger Charly Suarez over the weekend, veteran ring writer Lance Pugmire reported on the boxingscene.com website yesterday.
“The California State Athletic Commission is expected to convert Emanuel Navarrete’s controversial technical decision victory over Charly Suarez to a no-contest,” Pugmire wrote, paving the way for a potential rematch between the two fighters.
“A cut at Navarrete’s left eyebrow in the sixth round had been ruled the result of an accidental clash of heads. The fight ended at the start of the eighth and was sent to the scorecards,” the celebrated sportswriter, who was at ringside at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego for the title clash, noted.
“In the hours after an immediate judgment was made to award Navarrete the WBO junior lightweight title fight victory at Pechanga Arena, a subsequent replay emerged showing the champion’s cut was caused by challenger Charly Suarez’s left-handed punch,” he pointed out.
In a separate article written by Dan Ambrose on the website boxingnews24.com, Top Rank vice president Carl Moretti, after reviewing the video that showed Suarez’s blow caused Navarrete a nasty gash on the left eyebrow, said that he was all for a rematch between the two rivals.
“If that had been the final decision in the minutes after ringside physician Dr. Robert Ruelaz ruled the fight to be stopped, Suarez would have been declared the winner by technical knockout,” Pugmire stressed.
As a result of the ring physician’s move, “referee Edward Collantes immediately ruled that the clash of heads caused the cut, and video replay official Jack Reiss said there was no conclusive evidence from the initial scenes he reviewed to overturn that call.
“Our rules on replay say unless it’s undisputed, the referee’s call shall stand, and this was very disputable,” Reiss explained in the report. “I had quite a few looks at it. But nothing up close. And nothing at the correct angle.
“The later footage revealed Suarez’s punch opened the cut, and that has convinced the California commission to adapt, and label the outcome a no-contest that will provoke a rematch ordered by the WBO.”
The two protagonists had different takes on what actually happened, Pugmire reported.
“While the Philippines’ Suarez insisted his punch opened Navarrete’s cut, the champion from Mexico maintained it was Suarez’s head that caused a cut ‘two layers deep’ and forced the bout’s outcome to the scorecards, which were returned 77-76 (Lou Moret), 78-75 (Pat Russell), 77-76 (Fernando Villareal) in Navarrete’s favor,” the report said.
“I felt it was a headbutt. I saw the review. It seems like a punch, but it exploded two layers of skin,” Navarrete, 30, told reporters while standing inside the ring after the fight.
“I didn’t want it to end. I was fine to keep going. I felt like the best rounds were still to come. But the doctor stopped the fight.”
He admitted that the 36-year-old Suarez gave him more than what he bargained for, saying: “He would be a great opponent. He is a great opponent. So a rematch would be good.”
Entering the title match undefeated in 18 bouts, Suarez felt that a rematch would settle the issue once and for all, given the questionable outcome of their initial encounter.
“I respect Navarrete because he’s a good boxer, and he’ll give me a chance to rematch after a fight that was entertaining,” Suarez said. “I’m sad, but I have hope they will give me another chance. Maybe next time.”
The “King’s Warrior” from San Isidro, Davao del Norte, said his action-packed battle with the reigning champ “reminded him of countryman Manny Pacquiao’s epic brawls with Mexican warriors, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.”
