Emanuel Navarrete and Denys Berinchyk are inching closer to a deal.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that talks are ongoing to where an extension will likely be granted in lieu of a purse bid hearing for their ordered WBO lightweight title fight. The two were instructed to enter talks on January 29, shortly after Navarrete enforced his ‘Super Champion’ status in a bid to win a major title in his fourth weight division.
Mexico’s Navarrete is represented in talks by Top Rank. Ukraine’s Berinchyk is promoted by Alex Krassyuk.
Preliminary rumors have the potential clash taking place this May in San Diego, where Navarrete has previously fought and proven to be a respectable draw.
Navarrete (38-1-1, 31KOs) won his third divisional belt when he survived his first career knockdown to drop and stop Australia’s Liam Wilson in the ninth round of their WBO junior lightweight title fight last February 3 in Glendale, Arizona. Two successful defenses followed—a twelve-round, unanimous decision over countryman Oscar Valdez last August 12; and an entertaining twelve-round draw with Brazil’s Robson Conceicao last November 16 in Las Vegas.
The win over Valdez positioned Navarrete to file for ‘Super Champion’ status with the WBO, based on his extensive run with the sanctioning body. The 29-year-old from San Juan Zitlaltepec has also won titles at junior featherweight and featherweight, both in WBO title reigns. The Puerto Rico-headquartered organization approved the request, which allowed Navarrete the freedom to request an immediate title shot at a new weight as is the case here.
Berinchyk (18-0, 9KOs) is the current number-one ranked contender. The 2012 Olympic Silver medalist—who was part of the same Ukraine team as Oleksandr Usyk, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Gvozdyk—has struggled to match the pro success of his amateur teammates but has remained perfect through nine years in the paid ranks.
The 35-year-old from Kiev, Ukraine was primed to challenge for a title after wins over Yvan Mendy and Anthony Yigit. The latter came on the undercard of Usyk’s ninth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois to defend his unified WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles last August 26 in Wroclaw, Poland.
Devin Haney (31-0, 15KOs) was the undisputed champion at the time but shortly thereafter vacated all of his titles to compete for—and win—the WBC junior welterweight title.
Shakur Stevenson claimed the vacant WBC lightweight title in a twelve-round win over Edwin De Los Santos atop the November 16 card in Las Vegas that saw Navarrete and Conceicao fight to a draw. The WBA belt is currently held by Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, while Lomachenko and George Kambosos will compete for the vacant IBF title on May 12 in Perth, Australia.
Navarrete will enter his 13th career title fight and currently boasts an 11-0-1 record across three reigns. Berinchyk will challenge for his first major title in nearly nine full years as a pro.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox