Emanuel Navarrete stopped Eduardo Nunez before the start of the 11th round to unify the WBO and IBF super-featherweight titles in Arizona on Saturday night. The three-division champion improved to 40-2-1 (33 KOs), while Nunez dropped to 30-2 (28 KOs) in the biggest fight of his career. A ringside doctor waved the contest off ahead of the 11th, awarding Navarrete the IBF belt alongside his WBO crown. Navarrete said it was hard to watch his opponent hurt but that he had to keep working, knowing a single shot in the late rounds can change everything. Navarrete controlled much of the action despite Nunez changing tactics at times. Navarrete was willing to fight on the inside early, and Nunez responded with a number of body shots as he tried to wrest momentum back. In the ninth round Navarrete poured on pressure, landing a string of right hands that left Nunez’s legs unsteady and began to close one eye. Blood streamed from Nunez’s right eye in the 10th, and he continued until the ringside doctor stopped the bout. With the IBF belt now added to his WBO title, Navarrete appears poised to face WBO mandatory challenger Charly Suarez next; the two previously met in a fight that ended in a no-contest last May.
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