Emanuel Navarrete, WBO super-featherweight champion, has vacated his WBO featherweight title, only seven days after becoming a three-weight champion.
The 28-year-old boxer controversially floored Liam Wilson to land the then-vacant WBO super-featherweight title, making him a three-weight champion.
Following that victory, he had the decision to make: to vacate the WBO featherweight title and seek a new challenge or fight the winner of Isaac Dogboe v Robeisy Ramirez and keep the crown.
Navarrete said, “After closely analyzing the situation with my team, we have decided to keep the WBO junior lightweight title. I feel very happy with the three title defenses that I made at featherweight, but I am also convinced that my future is now at junior lightweight. We are going after the big fights at 130.”
His decision to vacate means that Dogboe v Ramirez on April 1 suddenly becomes a world-title fight, instead of an eliminator.
Dogboe, whose only two career defeats have come to the Mexican, could be relieved with the Mexican’s decision despite earlier telling JoySports he did not care who he fought, as he prepares for Ramirez.
“So long as there’s blood flowing through every person, everyone is beatable. He’s a man like I am, I don’t think anyway about him and at the end of the day, it is a fight. The only thing is, he prepares, I prepare and then we put on a great fight. My thoughts are I’m going for a win, I’m not there to make numbers. He’s won two gold medals at the Olympics, congratulations to him [but] I’ve been there. I didn’t win a medal at the Olympic Games [but] I won a world title.”