By: Sean Crose
The WBO featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete, 35-1, defended his title Saturday evening against Eduardo Baez, 21-2-2, in a scheduled 12 round affair at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena. Navarrete was patient and fluid in the first while Baez largely played the role of aggressor. Both men traded heavy leather in an exciting second. Baez was clearly in it to win it and had not shown up to be a mere opponent. Things remained high octane in the third.
Navarrete was quite aggressive in the fourth, but Baez was proving he had a slippery defense. The fifth round proved that Baez was an awkward, confident and more than worthy opponent for the more well regarded Navarrete. In fact, Naravrette himself was looking a bit sluggish. Still, a body shot put Baez down at the top of the sixth. The game Baez simply couldn’t beat the count.