Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ 85305, United States
Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN+
Main card: February 4, 2023, 05:00 am
Mexico's Emanuel Navarrete and Australia's Liam Wilson are going to fight it out for the WBO World Super Featherweight belt at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona. The challenger has a difficult task ahead of him considering that Navarrete is the big favourite in this bout and that this would be Wilson's first fight outside of Australia. The following are the expert opinions and odds.
Claim Your Welcome Bonus!Emanuel Navarrete - Huge projected to win this bout
To this point in his career, Navarrete has established himself as a formidable competitor on the Mexican domestic circuit, earning acclaim from fans and peers alike along the way.
When Navarrete competed in the ring for the last time, it was in August, and he won the sixth round on his way to this quest for a world title in a third division.
After successfully defending the WBO featherweight world title three times, he has moved up to the welterweight division in hopes of winning a championship at a higher weight class.
In the five years after he made his big break with a fight at Madison Square Garden against Isaac Dogboe, he has mostly competed in America. The only thing that Navarrete is lacking, despite the fact that he is only 28 years old and has a record of 36-1-0, is a title belt, which he intends to get in this fight.
Liam Wilson - Ready for his first fight abroad
Even though Liam Wilson has had a successful career up to this point, this bout is unquestionably the most important one of his career to date. Wilson has already competed in 12 professional fights despite being only 26 years old. He has won 11 of those fights, knocking out his opponents seven times. A rematch with Joe Noynay in 2022 allowed him to get revenge for his lone setback. If Wilson were to win here, he could finally put that loss behind him, considering it occurred two fights ago.
During the previous summer's competition, Wilson won the WBO international super featherweight belt on points after 10 rounds. Having already won the titles in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, Wilson is now aiming for a spot among the elite of the world's champions.
Here, in his first bout outside of Australia, he will try to make good on a promise he made to Wilson's dying father: to become world champion.
Expert Picks
Navarrete has a significant advantage in terms of professional experience, and also has a superior completing rate of 83 percent. Both of these factors work in his favour.
On the other hand, Wilson has more specific experience in the weight category than anyone else.
30 of these 37 bouts have resulted in Navarrete winning via knockout over his opponent. Due to the fact that Wilson is competing in only his 13th professional match, it is difficult to see any other conclusion occurring here.
While Navarrete has competed in venues such as Madison Square Garden, T-Mobile Arena, and MGM Grand, Wilson has never competed in a professional bout outside his native home.
- Emanuel Navarrete Win By KO, TKO or Disqualification for 1.40 odds
- Total Under 6.5 for 1.94 0dds
- Win Method: Win by UD for 4.6 odds