Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete overcame late travel complications to successfully make weight Friday for his junior lightweight title unification fight against Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in Glendale, Arizona. The Mexican star arrived in the United States only Thursday night via private jet after entry issues delayed his trip, yet still stepped on the scale at a comfortable 129.2 pounds, safely under the 130-pound championship limit.
IBF titleholder Nunez also made weight without issue, registering 129.8 pounds to finalize the all-Mexican championship showdown. Promoter Eddie Hearn had expressed confidence throughout fight week that Navarrete would arrive on time and hit the limit, and the WBO champion delivered despite the disruption to his preparations.
Both fighters were notably absent from Thursday’s pre-fight press conference hosted by Matchroom Boxing, but the logistical hiccups ultimately did little to dampen anticipation for what was widely expected to be an explosive unification clash at the Diamond Arena, broadcast live on DAZN.
The four-fight main card was scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and featured several rising and established names. Highly touted prospect Emiliano Vargas, The Ring’s 2025 Prospect of the Year, weighed 139.8 pounds for his 10-round junior welterweight bout against Agustin Quintana, who came in at 139.6. Undefeated welterweight Tahmir Smalls hit 147 pounds ahead of his meeting with veteran Abel Ramos (146.2). Opening the stream, junior featherweights Arturo Cardenas (122) and Jordan Martinez (121.8) also made weight for their eight-round contest.
