Charly Suarez finally gets long-awaited world title shot

Charly Suarez (left) and Emanuel Navarrete (right). | Facebook photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former Olympian and top-ranked junior lightweight contender, Charly “King’s Warrior” Suarez, has finally earned his much-deserved world title shot.

However, this opportunity will also be the toughest test of his professional career. Several reports from BoxingScene, Bad Left Hook, Ring Magazine, and Yahoo Sports confirmed that Suarez will challenge Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO World Super Featherweight title.

The highly anticipated bout is scheduled for May 18 at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.

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Suarez had been waiting for over a year for this opportunity after being denied a title eliminator against American Andres Cortes last year. Instead, he faced Jorge Castaneda and secured a convincing third-round technical knockout victory, further strengthened his claim for a world title shot.

Suarez is among the rare Filipino contenders who have earned a world title opportunity early in their careers while maintaining an unbeaten record — a career trajectory often seen among Japanese boxers. 

He boasts an impressive record of 18 wins, 10 by knockout, making him a dangerous opponent for Navarrete.

Second Filipino to  challenge Navarette

Suarez will be the second Filipino to challenge Navarrete for a world title. In 2020, Jeo Santisima, then with ALA Boxing Gym, fought Navarrete for the WBO World Super Bantamweight title at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Santisima, however, fell short, losing via an 11th-round TKO.

Navarrete, a three-division world champion, enters the fight with a record of 39 wins (32 KOs), 2 losses, and 1 draw. His attempt to capture a world title in a fourth division was thwarted last year after a split decision loss to Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk for the WBO World Lightweight title.

However, Navarrete rebounded strongly by returning to the super featherweight division and claiming the WBO title with a sixth-round knockout victory over fellow Mexican Oscar Valdez.

Despite the disparity in their records, Suarez is no stranger to upsetting the odds. As the No. 1 contender, he has proven that he can take on big names. In 2023, he stole the spotlight by defeating the heavily favored Paul Fleming in Australia, scoring a 12th-round TKO and capturing three regional titles in the process.