Denied Victory, Seeking Justice: Charly Suarez’s Appeal and the Potential Rematch with Emanuel Navarrete in Manila

Promoter Bob Arum says he wants to try to put together a rematch between WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete and Charly Suarez in Manila, in the Philippines.

Cut Controversy

Staging the rematch in Manila might make Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) happy, but it still doesn’t erase what happened last Saturday. Fans are angry that Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) avoided a defeat last Friday when his fight with Suarez was stopped in the eighth due to a cut he’d received. It went to the scorecards, and Navarrete won a narrow eight-round technical decision by the scores 77-76, 78-75, and 77-76.

However, it was later determined that the cut was caused by a punch from Suarez in the sixth. Suarez would have won the fight by an eighth-round TKO if the correct ruling had been made. The commission expected to hear Suarez’s appeal to overturn his loss on June 2nd. If his appeal is successful, the result of the fight could be changed to a no-contest. That’s better than nothing, but still not ideal for Suarez. He should have won.

“What I’m working on, and I don’t know if I can pull it off, is October and the 50th anniversary of the ‘Thrilla in Manila.’ I’d love to go back to the same building..and do this fight in Manila as a celebration of the Ali-Frazier fight,” Bob Arum said to Dan Rafael’s site about potentially putting together a rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Charly Suarez.

Navarrete’s Downfall?

Suarez outhustled a slowed, flabby, and deteriorated-looking Navarrete in their fight at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. Navarrete was at his best in the first round, but then quickly gassed out and was taking punishment from Suarez in rounds five through seven. After Navarrete suffered a cut in the sixth, he fought poorly, constantly dabbing his left eye to wipe away the blood, and taking a lot of shots.

It wasn’t just the cut that was causing him problems. It was the energy and skills of Suarez. He outmaneuvered and out-punched the slower Navarrete. Fans could tell by the seventh round that Navarrete was heading toward a knockout defeat.