Denys Berinchyk Beats Emanuel Navarrete, Claims WBO Lightweight Title

Denys Berinchyk beat Emanuel Navarrete via a split decision to become the WBO Lightweight Champion. 

The win made the Ukrainian a champion, following in the footsteps of his countryman Oleksandr Usyk, who had beaten Tyson Fury to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. 

Pre-Fight Comments

“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,” Emanuel Navarrete said

“[Navarrete] is a strong and experienced opponent. We are highly motivated and working hard to bring the title to Ukraine. The world can’t forget about our country’s struggle, so our victory in the ring is of great importance not just for my career and Ukrainian boxing, but also for the people of Ukraine. We do our best to make the world stand with Ukraine,” Berinchyk stated

Berinchyk vs. Navarrete

Berinchyk was the busier fighter, as he attempted to negate Navarrete’s size advantage. Berinchyk was on the front foot, pushing the Mexican on the back foot. Navarrete fought back in the second, landing straight right-hand rights and overhand lefts in competitive early rounds.

Berinchyk responded in the third, landing a strong right hook before the Mexican responded with an uppercut. Both men exchanged up to the halfway point, with little to separate them. Berinchyk increased his punch output further in the second half, forcing Navarrete to come out more aggressively.

However, a clash of heads in the tenth made the Mexican uncomfortable. Once the restart happened, Berinchyk continued to trade, getting the better of his opponent in the exchanges. While Navarrete went for the stoppage, Berinchyk stood tall, taking the win on the cards as the final round saw both missing mostly with their punches: 116-112, 115-113, 113-115