Emanuel Navarette is targeting a fight with Shakur Stevenson.
The Mexican, on Thursday at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on the undercard of Stevenson-Edwin de los Santos, makes the second defence of his WBO super featherweight title, against Brazil’s Robson Conceicao.
He does so aware that Stevenson once defended the same title against the same opponent, and that they are both promoted by Top Rank.
Navarette, at 28 seven years younger than Conceicao, was particularly entertaining in victory over Oscar Valdez in August, and said it “probable” he will move to lightweight to challenge Stevenson, the significant favourite against De Los Santos.
“It’s probable,” he said. “It’s something that would be good for boxing people. However, we both have commitments and we have to get over those commitments first.
“[Top Rank] haven’t approached me. They haven’t approached me. It’s just based on what I’ve heard people say about this possible match-up, but we are getting closer because he’s only one division away.
“He says he can’t go down to 130. That’s pretty evident. It could be we find a weight between that or I would move up to 135lbs.
“To be able to knock [Conceicao] out would be something extra. Something that neither [Oscar] Valdez or Shakur has been able to do.
“[Conceicao is] very difficult, and skilful, and moves a lot.”
Navarette’s fight comes less than two weeks after Joe Cordina defended his IBF super featherweight title against Edward Vazquez, and little over two weeks after O’Shaquie Foster retained his WBC super featherweight title with victory over Eduardo Hernandez.
“I saw a little bit of [Cordina-Vazquez],” he said. “I thought it was closer than what the judges said, but it would be a good fight between us. A unification fight would be really interesting.
“There are lots of good fights, but there’s also O’Shaquie Foster, which would be a good fight. It would be interesting. But we have commitments Thursday, and we have to get over that before we think of those fights.”
