Charly Suarez controversial loss to Navarrete may be declared ‘no-contest’

Charly Suarez | Top Rank photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A massive twist may soon rewrite the outcome of one of boxing’s most talked-about bouts this year, as the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) is reportedly set to overturn Emanuel Navarrete’s controversial technical decision win over Filipino challenger Charly Suarez — a decision that has drawn outrage among Filipino boxing fans.

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) retained his WBO title on May 10 (May 11, Manila time) via a controversial eighth-round technical decision over Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) in what was shaping up to be a slugfest at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.

According to a report by Boxing Scene’s Lane Pugmire, the CSAC is now expected to officially revise the result after a detailed review of the fight’s turning point — a deep cut over Navarrete’s left eyebrow that led to the premature stoppage.

READ: Navarrete retains WBO title; Suarez calls for rematch

Originally deemed an accidental clash of heads, replays showed that it was Suarez’s crisp counter left hook that opened the gash, not an unintentional headbutt.
The wound forced the referee and ringside doctor to halt the bout, prompting officials to go to the scorecards, which favored Navarrete.

However, under the rules, since the cut was caused by a legal punch, a technical decision should not have applied. Ironically, while Suarez’s clean shot should have changed the tide in his favor, a TKO win wasn’t granted — instead, he was handed his first professional loss.

Critics have since slammed fight officials and Top Rank Boxing for what many perceive as a rushed and flawed judgment. The CSAC’s pending decision to label the bout a no-contest is now seen as a necessary step to rectify the mishap.

With tensions rising and fans demanding justice, talks of a rematch are already surfacing.

In a heartfelt post-fight video, Suarez remained composed despite the controversial outcome, thanking his supporters and expressing hope for a second shot at glory.

“Hopefully, may rematch na mangyayari — dun tayo babawi,” said Suarez.

(Hopefully, a rematch will happen — that’s where we’ll make our comeback.)

“Pagbutihan, pag-igihan kung meron man akong pagkukulang… hangad ko talaga makamit ang belt. Pero siguro hindi pa talaga time — may mga hindrances. Ginawa ko naman ang best ko.”

(I’ll do better, I’ll improve if I fell short in any way… I really want to win the belt. But maybe it’s just not the right time — there were hindrances. I did my best.)