Emanuel Navarrete vs Denys Berinchyk weigh-in results, fight schedule and ringwalks
Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) aims to become a four-weight world champion but an unbeaten Ukrainian Olympian stands in his way when he fights Denys Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs) for the vacant WBO lightweight world title tonight, Saturday May 18, at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
The 29-year-old “Cowboy” is just one win away from joining an elite list of Mexican four-weight world champions that includes Erik Morales, Jorge Arce, Juan Manuel Marquez, Leo Santa Cruz, and Canelo Alvarez.
The 12-round welterweight co-feature will see hometown hero Giovani Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) taking on fellow unbeaten contender Brian Norman Jr. (25-0, 19 KOs) in a fight that will now be for the vacant WBO Interim world title. If Santillan wins, he will become only the second San Diego-born world champion in history, following Paul Vaden in 1995.
Navarrete-Berinchyk & Santillan-Norman headline a loaded card featuring nine fights in total, including unbeaten heavyweights Richard Torrez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) and Brandon Moore (14-0, 8 KOs) clashing in an eight-rounder.
All the weights, running order of fights and ringwalk times in full below:
ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+ 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT / 3:30am BST
Emanuel Navarrete 135 lbs vs Denys Berinchyk 134.8 lbs
12×3 WBO Lightweight World Title
Giovani Santillan 146.4 lbs vs Brian Norman Jr. 146.5 lbs
12×3 WBO Interim Welterweight World Title
ESPN+ 7:10pm ET / 4:10pm PT / 12:10am BST
Richard Torrez 229.9 lbs vs Brandon Moore 229.4 lbs
8×3 Heavyweight
Jonny Mansour 134 lbs vs Anel Dudo 130.8 lbs
4×3 Lightweight
Emiliano Fernando Vargas 139.6 lbs vs Angel Varela 140 lbs
6×3 Junior Welterweight
Alan Garcia 137.8 lbs vs Wilfredo Flores 136.9 lbs
8×3 Junior Welterweight
Jonathan Lopez 127.1 lbs vs Edgar Ortega 127.6 lbs
8×3 Junior Lightweight
Art Barrera Jr. 146 lbs vs Levy Garcia Benitez 143.9 lbs
4×3 Welterweight
*The Charlie Sheehy-Manuel Jaimes bout was cancelled due to Sheehy coming in overweight
What have they said?
Emanuel Navarrete: “Just having the opportunity to add a new title in a new division, it’s something that I never thought of. It’s something that I never dreamed of. It’s something new and achieving it would fulfill a personal goal. It will enrich my personal achievements, and it will make me satisfied with what I’ve done in my career.
“Each fight is different. Each opponent is different. Denys is an Olympian. He has a lot of experience in boxing. That’s the part we have to defeat. That’s the hardest part on Saturday.”
Denys Berinchyk: “I’m happy for Emanuel Navarrete that he was the king in three divisions, but this is my division. You will see a great, exciting fight on Saturday night.”