OLYMPIAN Charly Suarez vowed not to lose in his first shot at a world boxing championship despite being a heavy underdog.
“I prayed for this fight. And here it is. The opportunity has come and I have taken it. And we won’t lose,” said the 36-year-old Filipino as he finally came face-to-face with reigning WBO junior-lightweight champion Emmanuel Navarrete on Friday (Manila time) during the final presser for the 12-round bout in San Diego, California.
“I’m bringing all my amateur experience into this fight. This is it. The world title shot is here, so I’m ready and I’m excited for the fight on Saturday.”
A decorated amateur boxer who won gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games and a silver medal in the Asian Games, Suarez will be vying for a world title for the first time at the age of 36.
And it’s definitely going to be a hell of a mission Suarez will face.
Navarrete, 30, is a perfect 12-0 in world title fights, while known for his active work rate every fight where he averages close to 1,000 punches.
He is also coming off a sensational sixth-round stoppage of Oscar Valdez last December in an action-packed bout between two Mexican world champions.
“My performance against Oscar Valdez was my way of showing that I’m now at 100 percent. There’s no doubt about that now. So, all we have to do is prepare well to achieve my goals,” said Valdez, who also held titles in the junior featherweight and featherweight classes, respectively.
“I prepared for a great fight. We know that Suarez is coming for my title. So I want a great fight so everyone can see I’m ready to continue on the path of victory.”
Navarrete owns a 39-2-1 record with 32 KOs, while Suarez is undefeated in 18 fights, including 10 by KOs.
The official weigh-in is set on Saturday (Manila time).
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