Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez | ESPN - May 10, 2025

[Ruthless-RKO]

California poised to change Emanuel Navarrete-Charly Suarez to no-contest

SAN DIEGO – The California State Athletic Commission is expected to convert Emanuel Navarrete’s controversial technical decision victory over Charly Suarez to a no-contest, BS learned Saturday night.

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. 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.

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.

Instead, 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 told BS. “I had quite a few looks at it. But nothing up close. And nothing at the correct angle.”

However, 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.

Following Saturday night’s confusing events, both fighters provided divergent explanations.

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.

“I felt it was a headbutt. I saw the review. It seems like a punch, but it exploded two layers of skin,” Navarrete said to reporters while standing as the winner. “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 agreed Suarez gave him a demanding bout, and said, “He would be a great opponent. He is a great opponent. So a rematch would be good.”

Suarez, who took an 18-0 record into the bout, said he feels a rematch is justified given the dispute over the way it was settled.

“I thought I had a chance to win the fight. I had five more rounds to try to win,” if the bout hadn’t been stopped, Suarez said.

The fight was a highly entertaining scrap that saw both men swing for the proverbial fences, with each rocked in various moments.

Suarez said it reminded him of countryman Manny Pacquiao’s epic brawls with Mexican warriors, including Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

Suarez said he was saddened by the turn of events against him, but obeying the rulings instead of vehemently arguing with officials.

“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 the hope they will give me another chance. Maybe next time.”

Top Rank Vice President of Operations Carl Moretti immediately said after the bout that he would push for a rematch.

Navarrete had great difficulty making weight for the 130lbs title defense, but he said he didn’t feel weakened during the bout and he’ll decide during the two-month cut healing period if he’ll remain as champion or try again at lightweight after a title-fight loss at 135lbs last year.

“You saw the level of that fight and how it developed – in the seven rounds, I think we threw more punches than all of those fights [Canelo Alvarez-William Scull, Devin Haney-Jose Ramirez] last weekend,” Navarrete said. “I felt good. I felt competent. There were opponents you can say he made me look limited, but there were alternatives.

“Yes, there was pressure in making weight – 0.4 pounds with time against [me]. But the weight was made, I recovered, I felt good in there.

“The work we did in the fight is the work we planned.

“I’ll see what comes and make a decision,” on the rematch.

[margaret thatcher]

f@cking ridiculous, they had video review and still botched it

it should be a suarez win, it was a cut caused by a punch that ended the fight. why b!tch out and call it just a no contest?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Charly Suarez's appeal against Emanuel Navarrete controversy to be heard on June 2

N DIEGO – Charly Suarez on Monday appealed his technical-decision loss to Emanuel Navarrete to the California State Athletic Commission, and that appeal will be heard at its meeting on June 2, BS has learned.

Suarez, of the Philippines, was dealt his first defeat in 19 fights on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego in a contest for the WBO junior-lightweight title after the ringside physician Dr Robert Ruelaz stopped the bout one second into the eighth round due to a cut that Navarrete suffered at the left eyebrow in the sixth round.

Because the referee Edward Collantes initially ruled that an accidental clash of heads caused the cut, and the video replay official Jack Reiss couldn’t immediately find any footage to refute that claim, the bout was sent to the scorecards instead of being ruled a technical knockout victory in favor of Suarez, as it would’ve been if the cut had been caused by a punch.

The scorecards all favored Mexico’s Navarrete, via scores of 77-76, 78-75, 77-76, and he retained his 130lbs belt.

An additional replay later emerged showing that Suarez delivered a crushing left hand that appeared to open the cut that Navarrete said went “two layers deep” and required multiple stitches to close afterwards.

Navarrete, 30, said he believed the cut was caused by a headbutt due to its severity, because blood flowed heavily into his left eye during the bout, leaving him to paw at it several times with a glove while in combat with the game Suarez.

In his appeal on Monday morning, Suarez asked the California commission to either award him the TKO victory or to label the bout a no-contest, which a member of the commission first told BS would be a possible outcome on Saturday night after the additional replay emerged.

The WBO president Gustavo Olivieri told BS on Sunday he would wait for the commission’s decision before moving to order a rematch.

Calling the bout a no-contest would essentially allow the California commission to rule that the bout never existed, representing a mediator’s stroke that would answer both fighters’ positions that they each believed they deserved victory.

Stripping Navarrete entirely of a victory he left the arena believing he had achieved and calling Suarez, 36, a loser given what the late replay revealed are both seen as unfair, extreme responses, and so labeling it a no-contest empowers the WBO to order an immediate rematch when Navarrete heals.

Then, the thinking goes, Navarrete and Suarez can, once and for all, settle the matter in the ring.

[Bobbyptsd]

It was already settled, Suarez should have won. It's not cloudy or disputed, anyone can see it on replay, everyone watching it saw it at the time. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a rematch, or that Navarrete wouldn't legitimately win said rematch (I think he would if it happens). But it's ridiculous to make it sound like "It's complicated" when everyone saw what happened in slow motion 100 times. Suarez opened a cut on Navarrete with a punch and the latter couldn't continue. TKO win for Suarez. Simple.

[amwsnw]

f@cking ridiculous, they had video review and still botched it

it should be a suarez win, it was a cut caused by a punch that ended the fight. why b!tch out and call it just a no contest?

X2

[aumonier]

I confirm the punch that opened the cut was identified immediately, TV presenters in France were all debating how it should be judged and agreed, in the next minute after the end of the fight by ringside doctor, that it is due to a punch and it should end in a win for Suarez (it is the same situation that the fight Jonathan Rice vs Guido Vianello for example). What is hard to believe is that the TV footage was not available for the official video referee Reiss when it was available immediately (seconds after the end of the round). But since the error has been made, it cannot be corrected as a win for Suarez, so No Contest is for me the best option, since it will give back Suarez his unblemished record. Navarrete is a great fighter but there has been a few fights now where he was not that good (vs Wilson, Conceicao, Berinchyk, now Suarez) and in case of a rematch, not sure he would win.

[Bobbyptsd]

Unless I'm wrong here, I believe they were looking at the footage in slow motion at the time, after the round, and THAT'S where the definitive call was made. It's not like Reiss has to decide right there in the ring the moment it happens and that's set in stone. They were reviewing it in slow motion after from different angles, and that's where they called it. So it's not accurate to say Reiss had to make a call right quick and botched it, that would be a lot more understandable. People make mistakes and can't see in laser focus everywhere, sure. But that's not what happened. They watched it repeatedly in slo-mo and said they couldn't determine, when it was clearly a punch. It looks an awful lot to me like they just didn't want Navarrete to lose. So all that effort on Suarez' part, and he gets a bs "Hey let's basically pretend the fight didn't happen"? Yeah great. Real fair compromise there. "Have to knock him out to get a no contest", to paraphrase the old saying.

[squiggy]

And they haven't even actually done that much. It's still on record as a win for Navarrete.

[Ruthless-RKO]

EMANUEL NAVARRETE'S CONTROVERSIAL WIN OVER CHARLY SUAREZ CHANGED TO 'NO CONTEST'; REMATCH ORDERED

The California State Athletic Commission held a vote during a meeting Monday to determine that WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete’s controversial technical decision win against Charly Suarez has been changed to a No Contest.

The fight took place on May 10 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego and was stopped one second into the eighth round when a ringside physician determined Navarrete was unfit to continue after suffering a cut near his left eyebrow.

Referee Edward Collantes originally ruled that a clash of heads caused the laceration. CSAC replay official and retired veteran referee Jack Reis determined that there was no conclusive evidence from the initial replays to overturn the call. However, nearly a half hour after the event concluded, newfound footage clearly showed that Suarez’s left hand had sliced Navarrete’s skin.

The previously unseen evidence played a central role as part of Monday’s vote.

Although Navarrete expressed a desire to continue fighting, the fight was stopped and the surging Suarez was dealt defeat.

Navarrete was ahead on the cards 78-75, 77-76, 77-76 and claimed after the fight that the cut was not caused by a head butt and that he wanted to continue fighting.

Suarez said he would have knocked out Navarrete if the fight had gone on.

The principals can now turn the page and look forward to the next chapter.

Carl Moretti, Top Rank’s vice president of operations, virtually attended the meeting and stated that the WBO has already ordered an immediate rematch and shared that the Las Vegas-based promotional company will work toward making that happen.

“Respect to everyone involved for coming up with a difficult decision,” said Moretti. “We’ll put forth our best effort to get it done in a timely fashion for everyone involved.”

Navarrete was noncommittal to a rematch following the immediate aftermath of the fight.

[margaret thatcher]

suarez still unlucky, but better than having it as a loss

[Ruthless-RKO]

suarez still unlucky, but better than having it as a loss

Not thing now would be for WBO to order an immediate rematch.

But hey, Nava can just vacate.