Emanuel Navarrete vs. Eduardo Nunez | DAZN - February 28, 2026

[Ruthless-RKO]

Civil war between Navarrete and Nunez could spark Mexico’s next great rivalry

There is a civil war scheduled in the desert on Saturday between Emanuel Navarrete and Eduardo Nunez, and the dangerous duo could perhaps deliver the next great rivalry featuring Mexican fighters.
All accounts indicate that the junior lightweight title unification bout and all-Mexico matchup is destined to deliver, and now it must be proven when Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs), the WBO champion, and Nunez (29-1, 27 KOs), the IBF titleholder, square off at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on DAZN.

"Vaquero" Navarrete and "Sugar" Nunez are ranked Nos. 2 and 4 by The Ring at 130 pounds, and there is tremendous mutual respect coming in from both sides during the buildup of the bout.

It’s a far cry from the riveting rivalry between Hall of Fame Mexican fighters Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, which featured bad blood and punches thrown at press conferences and three wars inside the ring between 2000 and 2004 and across 122, 126, and 130 pounds.

But admiration will go out the door once Navarrete, 31, and Nunez, 28, go toe-to-toe during their duel.

“If you look at the previous wars between Mexican fighters, they set the bar extremely high,” Nunez told The Ring. “I think there have been some great examples between Mexicans over the years.

“I loved the Barrera-Morales fights. Those were tremendous wars. I’ve not really got a favorite out of the two. I wouldn’t dare to say who’s my favorite, but I really did follow the careers of both. I loved watching them fight.

“But because of our styles, Navarrete's and mine, and our winning mentalities, I do believe it will be a wonderful Mexican war that people will experience.”

The four-division champion Navarrete is the more seasoned fighter, but is coming into the clash with a chip on his shoulder. Navarrete last fought in May and was fortunate to eventually walk away with a No Contest against Charly Suarez. The fight was originally announced as a technical decision win for Navarrete, but it was later overturned when it was ruled that a punch caused the fight-ending cut near Navarrete’s eye, not a headbutt.

Before the Suarez fight, Navarrete knocked out Oscar Valdez in a rematch for the title he holds now, lost a split decision to Denys Berinchyk in his lightweight debut, and fought to a majority draw against Robson Conceicao despite dropping him twice.

The series of uneven results over the last 27 months has made Navarrete a +155 betting underdog and Nunez a -200 betting favorite, according to DraftKings.

“I want to make a statement to show that I belong on this level and that I am ready for opponents like this,” Navarrete said during a training montage produced by Matchroom, the lead promoter of the event.

“It's going to be a fight where I'm not going to give up my title easily. I want people to feel that I'm a champion who can defend a title with full respect to any opponent, that I still have that grit, that heart, and that drive.

“What defines the Mexican fighter is always connecting with the opponent. Where there are two Mexicans in the ring, the minimum you can expect is a war.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Weigh in

[Taansend]

Why is he arriving 48 hours before the biggest fight of his career? Mental.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Why is he arriving 48 hours before the biggest fight of his career? Mental.

Probably thought.. it’s only up the road.

[Taansend]

Why is he arriving 48 hours before the biggest fight of his career? Mental.

Probably thought.. it’s only up the road.

It's still a 3-4 hour flight, plus getting to the airport, immigration (not easy at the moment), dealing with visas (which is EXACTLY what happened) & getting from the airport. Having the press conferences, settling into a new place to sleep etc etc.

I know Vaquero is a tough bastard & not a wimp like me but it still seems very shoddy for someone who has been at Championship level for close to a decade.

Saying that, for some fighters they thrive on chaos.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yh he’s been around a while.

I remember when people thought Dogboe was the next best thing at lower weights, then he came along and bartered him twice.

[Taansend]

Yh he’s been around a while.

I remember when people thought Dogboe was the next best thing at lower weights, then he came along and bartered him twice.

That was mainly Dogboe & his Dad

Seriously though, I hope they invested their money because they did get a bit carried away after the Magdelano win. Dogboe's last listed address is an apartment complex outside of D.C.

[Ruthless-RKO]

NAVARRETE ARRIVES JUST IN TIME FOR NUNEZ FIGHT, BOTH CHAMPS MAKE WEIGHT

Emanuel Navarrete hopped off a private jet Thursday night and promptly made weight Friday after travel-related issues derailed the Mexican fighter’s entry into the U.S. for his junior lightweight title unification clash against Eduardo Nunez on Saturday.

Promoter Eddie Hearn said all along that Navarrete would arrive in time and make the 130-pound limit, and Navarrete did so by stepping on the scale at 129.2 pounds. Fellow Mexican champion Nunez weighed 129.8 pounds to make the civil war official.

Matchroom Boxing hosted a press conference on Thursday evening, but neither the WBO champion Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs, 1 NC) nor Eduardo Nunez (29-1, 27 KOs), the IBF beltholder, was present to build up their bout, which is set to take place at the Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on DAZN.

But all's well that ends well for what should be a barnburner of a bout.

The four-fight main card begins at 8 p.m. ET, and the co-main event features The Ring’s 2025 Prospect of the Year Emiliano Vargas (16-0, 13 KOs) in a 10-round junior welterweight clash against Agustin Quintana (22-2-1, 13 KOs).

Vargas weighed in at 139.8 pounds, and Quintana tipped the scales at 139.6 pounds.

Also set for a showcase slot is Tahmir Smalls (16-0, 11 KOs), as he takes on former title challenger Abel Ramos (28-6-3, 22 KOs) in a 10-round welterweight fight.

Smalls weighed in at 147 pounds, and Ramos was 146.2 pounds.

Kicking off the DAZN stream is an eight-round junior featherweight fight between Arturo Cardenas (17-0-1, 9 KOs) and Jordan Martinez (16-0, 15 KOs).

Cardenas, who’s fighting out of Michoacan, Mexico, weighed 122 pounds, and Martinez, fighting out of nearby Phoenix, weighed 121.8 pounds.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

Fight Night!!

[gilgamesh]

I watched some recent bouts of Navarette and Nunez last night, and I think the person who called for this to be a war was on the money. This is gonna be a great slugfest for sure.

[Ruthless-RKO]

60 KO’s between them.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Date: Saturday February 28, 2026
Location: Desert Diamond Arena - Glendale, AZ
TV/Stream: DAZN

Start Times
YouTube: 6 pm ET | 3 pm PT | 11 pm GMT (Preliminary Card)
DAZN: 8 pm ET | 5 pm PT | 1 am GMT (Main Card)

Promoted by: Matchroom Boxing & Top Rank Inc.

Main Card

Unified WBO & IBF Super Featherweight Championship
Emanuel Navarrete vs. Eduardo Nunez

WBA Continental North America Welterweight Championship
Tahmir Smalls vs. Abel Ramos

WBC Continental Americas Super Bantamweight Championship
Arturo Popoca vs. Jordan Martinez

WBO Latino & WBC NABF Super Lightweight Championship
Emiliano Vargas vs. Agustin Ezequiel Quintana

Preliminary Card

8 Round Super Lightweight Bout
Trini Ochoa vs. Oscar Alvarez Guerrero

6 Round Super Welterweight Bout
Hector Beltran Jr vs. Cesar Diaz

4 Round Welterweight Bout
Rahman Muhammad vs. Mitchell McFadden

6 Round Super Bantamweight Bout
Phillip Vella vs. Brayan Ramos Armenta

[gilgamesh]

Tahmir Smalls vs Abel Ramos has been a very interesting fight. Smalls controlling the fight early, Ramos taking over in the 2nd half. All the momentum in the favor of Ramos coming to the 10th

[gilgamesh]

I'd have it 96-94 Ramos

Official decision coming up momentarily.

[gilgamesh]

Tremendous body punching from Vargas in the Co-main with Quintana.

[gilgamesh]

Ramos won a Split Decision by the way

[gilgamesh]

The fight is stopped at the end of the 9th round due to the damage to Quintana's face. Quintana didn't like the stoppage, and the commentators didn't really either, but Vargas was certainly well ahead, and well in control.

Emiliano Vargas TKO 9

[gilgamesh]

Navarette won the 1st round close, and has been kicking Nunez's ass worse and worse with each passing round through 4.

4-0 Navarette

[gilgamesh]

In Round 5 the Fight we were all expecting broke out, and the action got a lot more competitive.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

What a performance

[Perseus]

All four main card fights were good scraps tonight.

[margaret thatcher]

manny navarette is a funny one. looks so clumsy and slow and just visually not that impressive at all. but obviously very effective. really doesnt have a problem finding the target vs anyone

[Cent0089]

Im glad Ramos finally got the decision he deserved. If that fight would be a 12 rounder, Smalls would get stopped IMO.