Notebook: Navarrete-Nunez unification 'will be a Mexican war'
Robeisy Ramirez free agent after Top Rank deal expires; Queensberry announces card in Paris; Don King suing Ring magazine and others; Quick hits; Show & tell double
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It was touch and go but WBO junior lightweight titleholder Emanuel Navarrete made it to the fight site on Thursday night and is ready to rumble with Mexican countryman and IBF titlist Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in a unification bout few believe will be anything other than an action-packed fight of the year contender.
They will square off in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday (DAZN, 8 p.m. ET) at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, but there were concerns Navarrete would be stuck in Mexico and unable to travel to the United States, where he has fought regularly for years.
“A lot of the times you get the guys bad mouthing each other, rolling around on the floor (in a scuffle). We get that for hype but this fight doesn’t need the hype,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said on Friday, relieved that Navarrete had arrived. “Both guys know exactly what to expect. Both guys know what they’re about to put themselves through.
“This is the perfect matchup. This is the perfect place to hold a fight of this magnitude. It’s the perfect crowd. This is going to be a special night.”
According to Top Rank, Navarrete’s promoter, his visa was approved and he had left his passport at the embassy in Mexico City in order for officials to put the work visa into the passport. However, when Navarrete returned to pick up the passport as scheduled on Tuesday embassy officials were unable to find it.
