Sources: Navarrete to defend title against Valdez

Emanuel Navarrete will defend his WBO junior lightweight title vs. Oscar Valdez on Aug. 12 in Glendale, Arizona, sources told ESPN on Friday.

The title fight between Mexican action fighters will headline Top Rank Boxing on ESPN.

The bout was scheduled to take place on Feb. 3 for the title vacated by Shakur Stevenson before Valdez withdrew because of a lingering rib injury.

Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) faced replacement opponent Liam Wilson in February and rallied from a fourth-round knockdown to score a ninth-round TKO victory in one of the best fights this year.

The win made Navarrete a three-division champion. The 28-year-old Mexican also captured titles at 122 and 126 pounds.

In Valdez, Navarrete will face his toughest test yet. The former two-division champion rebounded from his first career defeat (an April 2022 loss to Stevenson) with a unanimous-decision victory over Adam Lopez in a rematch last month.

Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) won titles at 126 pounds and 130 and is a two-time Olympian. He’s regarded as one of the best action fighters in boxing.