Emanuel Navarrete looks to extend his dominant run as he defends his WBO junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez this weekend.
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) is no stranger to winning, with the only blemish on his sterling record coming over a decade ago when the Mexican was still a teenager. Since then he's been nothing but victorious, but on Thursday the 28-year-old addressed some perceived criticism about the opposition that he's faced thus far.
Navarrete believes Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) is a step-up in calibre, and a victory against his countryman would go a long way towards quieting some of the critics.
“I have said that the fight with Valdez was necessary for my career because of everything it represents," Navarrete said. "The rivalry between Mexicans is something essential. It's a good thing for the fight.
"But boxing fans have also put a lot of pressure on me, saying that my career was missing that cherry on top. They said that I needed an impressive and iconic fight where I exert much more of myself.
"The fight with Valdez is that kind of fight."
To that end, Navarette is expecting a huge test against his 32-year-old opponent, whose only loss came at the hands of former two-weight champion Shakur Stevenson last year.
“We all know that this fight is raising a lot of expectations," Navarrete said. "It would be totally fraudulent if Valdez and I didn't give 100 percent in this fight.
"We all know that everyone expects a war in the ring. We have all that it takes to make for a great fight.”