EMANUEL NAVARRETE VS. O'SHAQUIE FOSTER PRESS CONFERENCE LIVESTREAM

[0:00] To score a goal like that, you could see what it meant to me personally. [0:08] This is all to play for, which is so exciting. [0:16] These teams have to come in here and give it their all. [0:32] Have a real nice tempo. [0:33] Goes baseline, watch out. [0:34] Oh, my! [0:36] High down the run for a big-time throwdown. [0:49] Fight Week on the Zone is non-stop action. [0:52] Access all areas of the biggest fight, even before the bell rings. [0:55] I hope you guys enjoy this fight as much as I will. [1:06] Look at that! The drama keeps continuing, Sally. [1:10] This is just brilliant. [1:17] This is boxing. This is life. [1:20] It's not, uh, it's not joking. [1:23] No politics, no fluff, just first glory and a little bit of history. [1:28] Cheers to that. [1:35] Of Serie A action will bring you so much of it here on The Zone. [1:43] Magnificent. That is tremendous. [1:53] The Zone is the home of boxing. [1:54] You really suppose what gets you going? [1:56] Let's make history! [1:58] Pure power! [1:59] From the opening bell to the final decision, [2:17] every round has the potential to deliver a memorable moment. [2:21] Whether it's championship fights, [2:23] Oh, nice! [2:24] rising contenders, [2:26] What a shot! [2:27] or can't miss match-ups. [2:29] DraftKings helps you stay connected wherever you are. [2:31] DraftKings is now live in all 50 states. [2:34] Just download the app and use promo code DAZN when you sign up. [2:38] DraftKings, the crown is yours. [2:40] Actually, we're going to do some striking, some development on technique. [2:49] We are going to have a great sesh today with the crew. [2:52] I'm super excited. [2:53] Top USA teams who get ready for our first international dance. [3:03] D, definitely. [3:04] Because Haycox now looks to attack the knee. [3:07] Oh, he's got it! [3:08] Oh, he's got it! [3:10] Pure time. [3:12] Hang me, baby! [3:17] This kid does things I've never seen before. [3:22] I'm tired of being quiet when I know something's wrong. [3:27] You know who you are, don't you? [3:29] Who are you? [3:31] I'm the greatest. [3:33] Now make it true. [3:34] I'm in. [3:36] The following program is recommended for those 16 and over [3:49] as it contains sporting violence, possible bad language, and flashing imagery. [3:53] And we welcome you to San Antonio, Texas, and the final press conference [4:32] for Saturday's top-ranked boxing event, which will be headlined by the 130-pound title unification fight [4:38] between Emmanuel Navarrete and Oshaki Foster, [4:41] which will take place at the Frostbank Center and stream worldwide exclusively on DAZN [4:46] as part of your subscription. [4:52] And we welcome you inside the Lila Cockrell Theater. [4:54] I'm Chris Mannix, part of DAZN's broadcast team. [4:57] And, you know, one of the ways that I know a fight is breaking through [5:03] is if it's being talked about everywhere. [5:06] And I've been in San Antonio for a few days now. [5:08] I was at the Spurs season opener on Tuesday, and people are talking about this fight. [5:15] I was at the barbershop on Wednesday, and people are talking about this fight. [5:20] There's a lot going on in this area this weekend, from college football to Formula One, [5:26] and people are talking about this fight. [5:29] And with good reason. [5:30] Emmanuel Navarrete, one of the most fan-friendly fighters in all of boxing, [5:35] a three-division world champion, coming off the best win or one of the best wins [5:40] of his professional career. [5:42] And Shock Foster, who has been on a heck of a run since winning his world title in 2023, [5:47] most recently defending it against Raymond Ford. [5:50] These are the two best fighters in this Super Featherweight weight class. [5:55] Three sanctioning body belts are on the line on Saturday. [5:59] The vacant Ring Magazine title as well. [6:03] The winner, in my opinion, will be the frontrunner or fighter of the year, [6:07] and no question, the number one guy in the Super Featherweight division. [6:12] Well, a great fight. [6:13] It deserves a great undercard. [6:15] And this one certainly delivers. [6:17] Our broadcast opener is a rematch between two amateur rivals in the bantamweight division. [6:23] Steven Navarro, 9-1, six knockouts, takes on Texas native Emmanuel Marino, [6:29] who puts his perfect record on the line. [6:33] Up next, we're going to return the ghost. [6:35] Frank Martin will make his top-ranked debut in a 140-pound matchup with Tariq Zaina. [6:40] And in the co-main event, Albert Chop Chop Gonzalez looks to move one step closer to a world title shot [6:48] when he takes on former world title challenger Edward Vasquez. [6:53] Tickets are available for this show at Ticketmaster.com. [6:56] We are live on DAZN at 7 o'clock Central, 5 Pacific, [7:00] and it's all part of what has been an action-packed month here on DAZN. [7:05] All right, we've got all the fighters from the undercard up here on the stage, [7:09] and I want to get right into it. [7:10] I want to start to my right with Steven Navarro. [7:12] Steven, you won that amateur matchup with Marino. [7:16] Tell me a little bit. [7:17] What do you remember about that fight? [7:20] You know what? [7:20] I do remember being a great, you know, chess match. [7:24] Obviously, the only thing I do remember is my hand being raised [7:27] and, you know, giving my respect to Emmanuel. [7:30] You know, afterwards, we both gave thanks to our Lord and Savior. [7:33] And after that, he gave respect and vice versa. [7:37] So the main thing is that we're two new fighters, [7:40] and I'm excited to showcase what I've been able to grow and become as a professional. [7:45] Did you think back then that, hey, this might be a guy that I face one day in the pros? [7:51] You know, of course, yes. [7:52] And there's many others that I hope to face in the future. [7:56] It's just a blessing to be here in Texas, you know, [7:58] expand the team, the family, just the audience, and I'm excited to be here. [8:05] How much better do you think that you have gotten since that fight? [8:09] Oh, you know, words can't describe. [8:12] It's just mainly the IQ aspect and the experience as a pro, [8:17] and we're just going up from here. [8:18] Do you think he's gotten better? [8:20] I believe so. [8:21] You know, it's a great opponent to showcase what level we're both on and what level I am on. [8:26] So how do you see this fight playing out? [8:29] Well, my hand being raised and me getting ready for a world title fight. [8:32] All right, well, good luck to you on Saturday, Stephen. [8:34] We'll turn to Emmanuel. [8:36] I'll ask you the same question. [8:38] That amateur bout, what do you remember about it? [8:41] Man, it was a great fight. [8:42] You know, much respect to Stephen Navarro and his team. [8:46] He's a great fighter, really crafty and, you know, a shifty fighter. [8:50] You know, like I say, I take my hat off to him. [8:53] But again, that was in the amateurs. [8:56] You know, we had one great dancing battle in the amateurs. [8:59] So now we're just bringing it on to the professionals. [9:02] And, you know, this time it will be a different outcome. [9:04] So I'm looking forward to it. [9:06] You've got a perfect record, but does it give you a little bit of juice [9:09] to maybe try to get your lick back against the guy that beat you in the amateur ranks? [9:12] Oh, yeah, most definitely. [9:14] You know, again, you know, professionals amateur is a whole completely different story. [9:19] You know, it ain't nothing's the same about it. [9:22] And, you know, I've grown so much, you know, completely going into the professionals. [9:27] But, I mean, you know what I'm saying? [9:30] I'm just ready to dance, man. [9:31] I'm ready to, you know, get it going. [9:34] You're from nearby Wichita Falls, Texas. [9:36] How does it feel to be getting this kind of opportunity in your home state? [9:41] Man, it takes my backyard, man. [9:43] You know what I'm saying? [9:43] I'm here to put on a show. [9:45] And I'm going to show all the fans and, you know, everybody watching [9:48] the type of level I'm on and the type of great fighter I am. [9:51] So come Saturday night, man, y'all stay tuned. [9:53] Get y'all's popcorn ready. [9:55] It's going to be a great show. [9:56] So what do you think of the way Steven's career has progressed in the pro ranks? [9:59] And what do you think kind of your advantages are coming into this fight? [10:02] Oh, man. [10:04] Honestly, I'm just willing to, I'm looking forward to a great fight, man. [10:09] Like I said, I respect Steven Navarro and his team a lot. [10:12] Steven Navarro is a great fighter. [10:14] I know he's going to come to fight just as much as I am. [10:17] He got a chip on his shoulder. [10:18] I got a chip on my shoulder. [10:19] That one loss doesn't define his career. [10:21] It doesn't define him as a fighter. [10:23] He's a great fighter, like I said. [10:24] I'm ready to clash, man. [10:27] I'm ready to clash and, you know, at the end of the day, come out victorious. [10:32] All right. [10:33] Well, good luck to you on Saturday, man. [10:34] We're looking forward to that fight that opens the show on Saturday night, 8 o'clock Eastern, 5 Pacific. [10:40] That fight taking place at 118 pounds. [10:43] Our next one is up at 140. [10:45] Frank Martin, former world title challenger at 135. [10:49] He tries to take another step towards a title shot at 140, taking on Tariq Zayna. [10:55] And Tariq, just so I get this straight, born in Morocco, raised in Gibraltar, lived or lives in Mexico and is a U.K. citizen. [11:04] Is that right? [11:05] So you're really a man of the world. [11:06] That is a very good explanation of what I am. [11:09] I am definitely a man of the world. [11:10] And whenever someone asks me, where are you from? [11:12] I'm from Earth. [11:14] And, you know, first and foremost, sorry, Chris, are you supposed to ask me anything? [11:19] Go ahead. [11:19] Yeah, just first of all, I would like to thank God and Bob and Brad and my manager, Ryan, for blessing me with this opportunity. [11:28] I'm just genuinely happy to be here, man. [11:30] And, yeah, man, let's go. [11:33] You know, I'm ready. [11:33] And that's all I can say. [11:36] Last time you were here in the U.S., you lost a fight to Tiger Johnson. [11:40] You're, I believe, 5-1 since then. [11:43] How have you improved since that last time out? [11:45] Man, look, I've fought with top rank before. [11:48] I've fought on the big stage before. [11:50] And the biggest lesson I took from them fights is that there's weight divisions for a reason. [11:55] When I saw Tiger at the way, I was like, man, I got you, man, look at you. [11:59] But then on the fight there, I was like, yo, where is Tiger? [12:02] This must be a different guy, you know? [12:05] So I just, you know, took my loss. [12:08] It's no secret that I've had my setbacks. [12:11] But the only reason I'm here is because I never decided to give up. [12:15] I've just decided to keep at it. [12:17] You know the saying, right? [12:18] If you hang around the barbershop long enough, you're going to get a haircut. [12:21] So I guess that's the only reason I'm still here. [12:25] And, you know, I'll come Saturday night. [12:27] I'll show why I belong at this level. [12:30] You said when you first heard that Frank signed with top rank, you went to your manager. [12:36] And you asked for this specific fight. [12:39] Why does that? [12:40] The truth of the matter is it was just a reaction of the moment. [12:44] When I saw that top rank announced the signing of the ghost, I was like, damn, this could [12:49] be something that could definitely materialize. [12:52] You know, on paper, I'm a worthy opponent. [12:55] You know, I believe I have what it takes to give Frank a good challenge. [12:58] And I just dropped him a message. [13:00] I was like, hey, Ryan, if there's any chance you could put my name in the hat for the ghost [13:04] to perform. [13:06] And lo and behold, here we are, man. [13:09] You know, a couple of months later, he made it happen and we're fighting, you know. [13:13] So, you know what they say, right? [13:15] I'm just rolling with the waves, man, or riding the wave, as we say. [13:20] Yeah. [13:20] Is there something that you see in him that makes you believe you have the advantage going [13:24] into this fight? [13:25] I mean, look, I'm not a 45-year-old Ramses Bartholomew. [13:30] So, you know, I'm young, I'm hungry, I'm full of life. [13:35] I'm ready, man. [13:36] I've put in a lot of good work. [13:38] I have nothing but respect for Frank. [13:40] You know, he's a good-looking guy. [13:41] He dresses nice. [13:43] He's got a nice haircut. [13:45] I literally, I know he's a good dude. [13:47] You know, I have nothing bad to say about him. [13:49] We know he's a good fighter. [13:51] So, at the end of the day, I just want to test myself against the best. [13:55] And, you know, I've been fighting since I was 11 years old. [13:57] And, you know, the only thing I'm asking myself is, do I belong here or not? [14:02] And I've been blessed by this opportunity to test myself. [14:05] So, at the end of the day, it's just me versus me, you know. [14:08] All right. [14:08] Well, good luck, Chris. [14:10] Frank, it's hard to get mad at a guy like that. [14:12] Very complimentary. [14:14] What do you think of what you just heard? [14:16] No, that's, you know, I appreciate all the, you know, respect and everything from my opponent. [14:21] And I appreciate you accepting the fight as well. [14:23] And, you know, even just being here, you know, I appreciate everybody that's here as well. [14:28] And, you know, just thank you for accepting the fight. [14:32] You know, we're going to go out. [14:33] We're going to get the fans that they want to see. [14:35] You know, Tariq, he's not a, you know, he a fighter who's going to fight back. [14:39] You know, you hit him with a shot, he's going to come back. [14:41] So, you know, it's going to be a lot of give and take in the fight, you know. [14:47] But I appreciate you accepting the fight. [14:49] But he did say he's not a 45-year-old Rancis Bartholomew. [14:53] I think he might be adding a couple of years to Rancis' chronological clock there. [14:58] But do you think he presents a more difficult challenge than that? [15:02] I mean, I feel like any, it's boxing, you know. [15:05] In boxing, anything can happen, you know, no matter what. [15:08] So, I'm just going to be prepared for whatever style come out there that he, you know, present in a fight. [15:14] I'll just be ready to adapt to anything that he brings to the fight. [15:18] You had a draw early in the year against Nair Albright. [15:22] What did you kind of learn from that experience? [15:26] Honestly, that fight, you know, I got sick right before the fight. [15:30] You know, I don't like to bring stuff like that up because, you know, us as fighters, anything wrong with us, we're going to get dragged through the mud if it's, you know, talked about. [15:37] But for that fight, you know, it was a lot of things that I've seen, but my body couldn't react to it how I needed it to. [15:43] But, you know, it was one of them things I wasn't going to pull out of the fight. [15:45] I was already there. [15:46] So, I had to dig deep and, you know, just bring the dog out that fight. [15:50] And, you know, it was a tougher fight than it had to be, you know, just because I couldn't react to a lot of stuff. [15:57] This is your first fight now with Top Rank. [15:59] You made the decision to sign with them as a free agent. [16:01] Why was this the right fit, and what do you hope that a win on Saturday is a springboard to? [16:07] You know, the goal is to, you know, us as fighters, we want to get to titles. [16:11] You know, we want to fight for titles. [16:12] We want to make money at the end of the day. [16:14] So, I feel Top Rank was perfect, a perfect fit. [16:18] Just, you know, I think that, I know that they'll keep me busy, and I'll be a world champion with Top Rank. [16:26] So, I'm excited. [16:27] I'm excited about the journey, and, you know, we're here. [16:30] And Saturday is the first step to show that I'm ready for, you know, the journey. [16:35] All right. [16:35] Well, good luck to you on Saturday. [16:36] Thank you. [16:36] Looking forward to that fight. [16:38] Our co-main event on Saturday night, it should be an excellent one. [16:42] Chop Chop Gonzalez, one of the fastest rising undefeated fighters. [16:46] His last three wins coming by knockout, knocking on the door of a world title opportunity. [16:52] He takes on Edward Vasquez, a man that has an argument that he should already be called a world champion [16:57] with a close loss to Joe Cordina that followed what I thought was a terrible decision in his fight against Raymond Ford. [17:05] So, we'll start with Edward Vasquez. [17:07] Another opportunity for you here on Saturday night, taking on another good undefeated fighter. [17:12] What's your confidence level coming into this fight? [17:14] You know, first off, I want to thank everyone at Top Rank for the opportunity. [17:18] You know, thank you so much. [17:20] Man, I'm super confident, man. [17:22] I feel great. [17:24] And, you know, I know it's cliche. [17:25] You probably hear it all the time. [17:26] But this is probably the best I've ever felt in my career. [17:31] And I think a lot of that has to do with just experience, experience, not just like fighting experience or just like the amount of fights, [17:40] but experience at this level, at these, you know, big events, being at the world level. [17:47] So, I think, you know, like I said, I'm super confident. [17:53] I feel strong. [17:54] I feel fast. [17:54] I'm focused. [17:56] I'm ready to go. [17:56] I'm ready to, you know, in fact, I think our fight, me versus Chop Chop, I think might be fight of the night, man. [18:03] I think it has an opportunity to steal the show. [18:07] And, you know, he fights. [18:09] You know how I fight. [18:10] And it's going to be an all-out war. [18:12] And I know he's ready. [18:13] I'm ready. [18:14] And we're going to battle it out. [18:15] So, when this fight was offered to you, what was your reaction? [18:19] What do you see when you watch Chop Chop? [18:21] Oh, man, I was just licking my chops. [18:24] That's what I was doing. [18:25] I was like, let's go, you know, send the contract. [18:29] I mean, almost immediately, I was like, let's go. [18:31] You know, this is the kind of opportunity, you know, obviously, I lost the fight versus Rafael Espinoza last May. [18:38] And so, it was kind of going back to the building blocks to work my way back into an opportunity like this. [18:44] And so, you know, when the call came in, it was like, man, everything played out exactly the way it should have. [18:53] And I'm blessed, man. [18:55] I'm blessed. [18:56] And I'm excited. [18:58] I'm ready to go. [18:59] And I think it's going to be a fun night, man. [19:01] You've been on the wrong side of a couple of very close decisions to Raymond Ford, to Joe Cordina. [19:08] Do you enter a fight like this thinking, hey, I got to be definitive here, whether it's by knockout or a clear decision? [19:14] Oh, certainly, you know, and actually, you know, I think that going into every fight and those fights just happen to, you know, not turn out the way they should have. [19:23] But, yeah, no, definitely, you know, this is definitely, you know, a huge fight. [19:28] I have an opportunity to take his spot. [19:32] You know, you guys are saying he's knocking on the door of a world title. [19:35] Well, here I come. [19:36] Here comes the Texas guy. [19:39] I'm going to take his spot, and I'll be in line for the world title. [19:41] So, I visualize that. [19:43] I see that. [19:45] I, you know, I speak that into myself, and I'm ready to go, man. [19:49] I'm ready to seize the opportunity and make the most out of it. [19:53] All right. [19:53] Good luck to you, Ed. [19:54] We're looking forward to that. [19:55] One half of our co-main event, Chop Chop Gonzalez, you're the other half. [19:59] He says he thinks this is going to be potentially the fight of the night. [20:03] What do you think? [20:04] No doubt about it. [20:05] You know, like he said, he's confident. [20:08] I'm glad to hear that, like he said, man, he feels the best ever for this coming fight. [20:14] So, that way, there's no excuses after we get the job done, man. [20:18] God willing, we'll be able to get that world title shot. [20:22] You know, he's had minor setbacks. [20:24] You know, like you said, two of them have been controversial. [20:26] So, me being able to go in here and just make it look easy, make it look like I'm on a whole nother level, [20:32] is going to for sure put me at that spot where it's like I can't be denied, you know. [20:35] And that's what we're looking to do. [20:36] Is that on your mind coming into this fight? [20:38] He did get stopped by Espinosa, but Ford didn't beat him definitively. [20:42] Cordina didn't beat him definitively. [20:44] Is that something that you think will show that you're on a different level? [20:47] No doubt about it, man. [20:48] And one thing is we want to win, but it's not just about winning. [20:53] We want to look great, you know. [20:54] We want to show that we deserve at that top, that we belong at that top level. [20:59] So, me being able to go out there and put on a performance, that's what's going to be able to not say that I belong there, [21:04] but show everybody that I belong there. [21:06] You know, I don't know if we were known coming into the pros as a knockout puncher, [21:10] but three consecutive knockouts, two of them pretty early. [21:12] Kind of what's been going into this power surge of yours of late? [21:16] No, I just think, you know, every camp, thank God, I've been very active. [21:20] So, every camp, going into every camp, we're learning how to be able to place our shots a lot better. [21:25] You know, we're learning how to be able to use our time. [21:28] You know, we've got ten rounds. [21:29] You know, not pressuring anything, not forcing anything, but just letting it flow, building, building. [21:34] And thank God, like you said, you know, these last three fights came by knockout. [21:38] And it's not with the intention that I'm going to knock this guy out in this certain round. [21:42] It's just us seeing, picking, and choosing our punches. [21:46] And then when we see an opportunity, we're taking it. [21:48] Thank God, you know, gets the job done earlier than expected. [21:50] Edward thinks this fight could be a war in the ring. [21:53] Is that the kind of fight that you're expecting? [21:55] No doubt, man. [21:56] I truly believe that it's going to get a little ugly before it gets pretty, you know. [22:00] So, the fans are in for a hell of a fight. [22:02] There's going to be two warriors, you know, digging down. [22:04] You know, he said, like he said, I'm at the level where I'm knocking at the door for a world title fight. [22:09] And he's at the level where he wants to take that spot from me. [22:11] The way I see it, it's going to be a long day in hell before I let anybody take the spot from me, you know. [22:15] So, for sure, everybody's in for a hell of a fight. [22:18] So, whose door you say you're knocking on the door? [22:19] Like, whose door are you trying to knock on for that fight? [22:21] Hey, whichever one we get the opportunity, man. [22:23] Of course, you know, we're ranked, I believe on all four of them, you know, all different rankings and stuff like that. [22:28] But this, for the WBC, you know, I believe that they're throwing in a, I'm not sure if it's a WBO or WBA belt in there and another continental, you know, to get us closer in line. [22:39] So, I truly believe whichever door gets open first, you know, we're taking it. [22:44] You know, we got, at the end of the day, all these champions, they're tough. [22:47] There's not going to be a, there's not one champion that's just champion. [22:51] No, to be a champion is because you've earned that spot. [22:55] It's not, it's not given to you. [22:57] So, I feel like there's no champion that's going to be an easy fight. [23:00] But whichever champion's willing to give me the opportunity, I'd be more than grateful to take it. [23:04] All right, excellent co-main event, excellent undercard on Saturday. [23:09] Doors open, or this kicks off, 7 o'clock Pacific, or 7 o'clock Central Time, 5 o'clock Pacific, 8 o'clock on the East Coast. [23:16] We're going to face these fighters off, I'm going to reset, I'm going to come back with the main event press conference. [23:21] That's what great fighters do. [25:36] It's a boxing lesson, for sure. [25:44] The winner of this fight is definitely top 10, maybe 5. [25:47] I don't know. [25:47] I'm approaching this fight like I have everything to lose. [25:59] It's for everything, this, all the talking that I've been doing, the levels I want to get to as it's pound for pound, number one. [26:06] People recognize me as that guy in the sport, this is, so I got to take advantage of it. [26:11] They calling me the underdog, it don't make me feel no type of way. [26:16] Every fight I go into, they say 50-50, they say this guy is going to do this and that. [26:21] And then you got these guys that I'm fighting, they don't make it no better, because they talking back. [26:26] How they going to walk through me and do all this. [26:29] I don't pay no total mind to it. [26:31] All the air. [26:33] I love it. [26:34] Turn up all the fans, yeah, we good. [26:37] You know, when it get hot in that ring, we got to be ready for it, you know what I mean? [26:42] Man, that is so hot here, we don't get hot in the ring. [26:46] So fighting in Texas, I won my first world title here. [26:59] I fought Ray Bargis in San Antonio at the Alamo Dome. [27:03] So it's just full circle, being able to unify in the same area. [27:07] It's like, you know, it just let me know that I'm here for a reason, and I'm supposed to be here for sure. [27:12] When I get these belts and I beat that red, say, undisputed, man. [27:20] Could catch you that ran from me before, so I'm kind of hoping Ball put it out, [27:23] because I feel like he'll get a little bit more active with me, but we'll see, man. [27:27] But we've got a great opponent in front, we knocked him out, there's just one more to collect. [27:32] This is the whole Division 9. [27:34] Well, I feel good, I feel strong, I think we've got a camp in accordance with the date for the fight, [28:03] and I feel good, I feel very strong, I think we're going to take advantage of the time that we're going to take a 100% [28:08] and we're going to get in excellent conditions for the fight. [28:10] Every camp we try to improve a lot of aspects, without doubt, the last camp was one of the best of my career, [28:18] and I think this is possible to be the best. [28:21] Fíjate que lo veo muy animado, muy contento, en sí, él es una persona muy alegre y muy dedicada. [28:31] Cuando toca entrenar, siempre al 100% y ahora lo veo más motivado. [28:38] Fíjate que sí se ha trabajado todo el equipo, todo el equipo nos hemos sentado a platicar el proceso, [28:46] el trabajo que se tiene que hacer, porque sabemos que Foster es uno de los campeones de las 130 libras, [28:52] bien sólido, y luego con el boxeo que él tiene, muy elusivo, con mucha movilidad, [28:59] sabemos que es un peleador complicado y sobre eso estamos trabajando. [29:04] Fíjate que creo que todos los campamentos son diferentes, se ve al rival, [29:10] este creo que va a ser uno de los más complicados por el estilo de Foster, [29:15] pero se está trabajando con los sparrings más elusivos, [29:23] que nos están apoyando para sobre eso trabajar y llegar a la pelea con la mejor preparación. [29:31] Pues sabiendo cómo boxea Foster y lo que puede ofrecer dentro de un ring, [29:36] pues yo creo que vamos a tratar de presionar, [29:38] con esa mentalidad siempre de ir atrás de él, [29:40] buscando pelea y buscando conectarlo bien en las zonas blandas [29:44] para que empiece a bajar el ritmo de pelea y podamos agarrarlo más veces y de mejor forma. [29:52] Pienso que esta pelea va a representar mucho dentro del boxeo mexicano, [30:07] una unificación de tres títulos más el título de ring, [30:11] pues creo que habla por si esto lo creo que esta pelea va a ser importante, [30:15] va a involucrar mucho dentro de la trayectoria del boxeo mexicano [30:19] y creo que de ganar sería algo estupendo para México. [30:25] Salgamos bien del compromiso, con salud, [30:28] y pues que brindemos un espectáculo bueno para la gente. [30:31] Bueno, welcome again everybody to the final press conference [30:43] for the main event of Saturday night's top-ranked boxing card, [30:47] the 130-pound unification fight between Emmanuel Navarrete and Oshaki Foster. [30:53] This is a four-belt unification fight. [30:56] You see the three sanctioning body belts that these men are wearing on the stage, [31:00] plus the vacant ring magazine title will be on the line. [31:05] So a lot is at stake on Saturday, [31:07] but even without the hardware, [31:10] this is the kind of fight that we need in boxing. [31:13] The two best in a weight class fighting to prove that they are number one. [31:18] There was a lot of excitement when this fight was first announced a few months ago, [31:22] and that excitement has only built as the weeks have passed. [31:26] Nearly 10,000 fans will be inside Frostbank Center on Saturday [31:31] for what many believe could be the fight of the year, [31:34] with the winner emerging as the favorite to be fighter of the year. [31:39] Tickets still available over at Ticketmaster.com, [31:42] and if you can't be here, [31:43] mostly worldwide on DAZN as part of your subscription. [31:49] Both fighters are here on the stage alongside their trainers, [31:52] Bobby Benton and Pedro Navarrete. [31:55] But I want to start to my left with Brad Jacobs. [31:56] Brad, top-ranked. [31:58] They've got a history of great matchmaking, [31:59] but I don't think you had to think too hard about making this fight happen. [32:05] No, you're right, Chris. [32:06] Thank you. [32:06] This is a fight that made itself a great fight in a terrific division [32:10] that's brought us some historic fights, Pacquiao, Morales, [32:15] all these other fights in the division. [32:17] It's been amazing. [32:18] These guys are going to add to that history. [32:20] We're just happy to be here in San Antonio. [32:22] This is our 19th event in San Antonio, [32:25] so no strangers to the area, [32:27] and like you said, be a big crowd there on Saturday. [32:31] What do you think is some of the keys to victory in a fight like this? [32:34] Give me your breakdown of what you're expecting. [32:36] Well, I'm not going to be the analyst here, [32:38] but look, you've got two different styles here. [32:41] You know, the boxer style with Oshaki [32:45] and the crazy style of Navarrete, [32:49] so it'll be a very interesting fight for sure. [32:52] It's a good way to put it, the crazy style of Emmanuel Navarrete, no doubt. [32:56] To my left, Bobby Benton, long-time trainer of Oshaki Foster. [33:00] This is an exciting fight, man. [33:02] Like, this is a boxing fans fight [33:04] between the two best in this weight class. [33:07] Was this the fight that you wanted, [33:08] and how have you been feeling as this camp has progressed? [33:12] Absolutely. [33:12] I mean, Shock's wanted this fight for a long time, [33:15] and it's here now. [33:17] Thanks, top rank in the zone for making it happen. [33:20] This has been his best camp by far. [33:23] Everybody always says that, but really, truly, it has. [33:25] I think Shock, he's going to prove [33:29] that he's the best fighter in the world on Saturday night. [33:31] You know, it seems like Shock has really been peaking [33:34] over his last few fights, [33:35] getting better and better as the competition continues to improve. [33:39] What have you seen from him over the last year? [33:41] Definitely that. [33:42] I mean, he's definitely getting better every fight. [33:43] He's getting more comfortable in the ring. [33:45] And now we've got the second-best 130-pounder in the world. [33:51] We're fighting Saturday night. [33:52] You heard Brad say the crazy style of Emmanuel Navarrete. [33:57] Like, how do you prepare for a fighter that is so unorthodox? [34:01] We prepare for it our way. [34:04] We've got crazy sparring partners. [34:07] We've got stuff like that. [34:08] So we prepare for it. [34:09] Do you advertise that on Facebook, like, crazy sparring partner? [34:12] Please come with that style. [34:14] No, we got him in the gym already, so. [34:16] So you said this has been his best camp. [34:17] What about this camp has been so good? [34:20] Just what he's doing in the gym. [34:22] It's really special. [34:24] I mean, it's been cool. [34:25] This whole process has been a fun process. [34:27] And now I think he's a complete fighter. [34:31] All right. [34:32] Good luck to you, Bobby. [34:33] Appreciate that. [34:34] Pedro Navarrete to my right. [34:36] Gabe Rebos will translate. [34:38] I'll ask you kind of the same question. [34:40] How was your training camp for this fight? [34:42] And what's your confidence level going into it? [34:44] What's your confidence level going into it? [34:44] Good afternoon to all of you. [34:49] Thank you for being here. [34:51] Well, as always, the campamento was something hard, something very extreme, but it was good. [34:59] Thank God, everything went well. [35:01] And I think you'll see a fighter, as always, going to the front. [35:08] Good afternoon. [35:09] Hi, everyone. [35:10] Thank you for being here, as always, camp was something very difficult, but it went well. [35:14] Thank God it went well. [35:15] And as always, you're going to see the same vaquero who comes forward. [35:19] You've got one of the very best offensive fighters in all of boxing. [35:24] You're going up against one of the best defensive fighters in boxing. [35:29] What is going to be the key in cracking that defense? [35:32] Well, we worked on that. [35:50] We know the quality of fighter that he has, and we did our camp based on that. [35:53] And that's going to be reflected in the ring this Saturday. [35:56] Do you think you can drag him into your kind of fight? [35:59] Well, it all depends on the kind of fight that Foster comes out to bring. [36:30] We worked on, you know, what happens if he does decide to exchange. [36:34] But if he doesn't, if he fights according to his typical style, we worked on that, too. [36:39] What's been different about Emmanuel the last couple of fights? [36:43] He seemed to struggle against Charlie Suarez, but looked dominant against Sugar Nunez. [36:47] What was the difference in him in those fights? [36:49] I think we all know that Vaquero is a very big fighter. [37:20] And he has in the past has struggled with weight. [37:22] But in this fight and in the last fight, we implemented a nutritionist. [37:26] And so that's going to be the key for him not struggling to make weight for this fight. [37:30] I don't think it's going to be a problem. [37:31] All right. [37:32] Appreciate it, Pedro. [37:32] Thank you. [37:34] Shock, three straight title defenses for you now. [37:37] And it's, like I said to Bobby, it seems like you're getting better every single time out. [37:42] Do you feel like you're peaking as a fighter? [37:44] And why? [37:46] First, I want to thank God. [37:48] Thank Tyrank. [37:49] Thank the zone. [37:50] Thank my team. [37:51] Navrete's team for coming together and putting together this big fight. [37:55] But to answer your question, for sure, man, like I said, as soon as I got healthy in 2025, [38:02] it's reflecting in my last few fights. [38:04] And, you know, I feel like I'm in the prime of my career now. [38:07] How long have you been chasing this fight? [38:10] Because it seems like maybe you have wanted this fight a little bit longer than he has. [38:14] I've been chasing this fight for almost three years. [38:18] Ever since I signed with Top Rank, I knew this was the fight I wanted. [38:24] I wanted to challenge myself. [38:25] I knew he was a great champion. [38:26] And, you know, now we're here. [38:27] Why do you think it hasn't happened until now? [38:31] Hey, you got to ask his side, man. [38:33] We've been asking for it. [38:34] We've been calling for it. [38:35] We've been getting no, no, no, not ready or whatever, you know, however they feel. [38:40] But, you know, now we're here. [38:42] We got him in a position we want him. [38:44] And we just got to seal the deal Saturday. [38:45] So you don't think he's wanted it over the years? [38:49] Not for me, nah. [38:50] I don't think so. [38:51] I think my style is something that he wants somebody to sit in front of him. [38:56] And I think my style is a little bit more difficult. [38:58] But, like I said, we're here now. [39:00] So, you know, we're going to see Saturday night. [39:03] You know what kind of fight that he wants to drag you into. [39:07] How do you avoid that? [39:08] Oh, just being me, man. [39:11] Y'all know me. [39:13] I'm ice water, man. [39:13] I flow with it. [39:15] I'm cool, calm, collected. [39:16] I don't fight to other people's advantages. [39:20] Whatever he brings to the table, I'll adjust. [39:23] And it's going to be a great night. [39:25] What did you think of his performance against Sugar Nunez, [39:28] which might have been the best performance we've seen out of him, at least in a long time? [39:32] I thought it was a great performance. [39:34] Like I said, Nunez didn't give us too much to look, [39:37] give me too much to, you know, to judge off of. [39:41] But I think he looked it better as far as his body. [39:44] They say he got a nutritionist. [39:46] So he did look better to me. [39:49] Remember he said at the last press conference that to get you to open up, [39:53] he was willing to stick his chin out there and let you hit it. [39:56] Do you think he's still going to do that? [39:58] And what happens if he does? [40:00] I mean, it sounded good when he said it. [40:03] But when you watch him fight, he don't even do that for them other guys. [40:07] He don't really like getting hit, in my opinion. [40:11] He'll trade with you. [40:12] But, you know, we'll see. [40:15] If he does that, it'll be a great night for me. [40:17] I'm not going to lie to you. [40:18] Bobby, I got to ask you, just a little prayer there, hoping that he does that. [40:21] What happens in that situation? [40:23] Oh, it's over. [40:24] If he puts his chin out there like that, he'll go to sleep. [40:28] Do you think Shockey doesn't respect your power? [40:32] I think a lot of people look at everything I can do in the ring, [40:36] and they try to put power on the back end. [40:39] But once they get in there, every one of them, they feel it. [40:42] And then, you know, you see them, they backing up. [40:46] And at the end of the fight, you see me walking them down. [40:49] So I think this will be another one of them fights where [40:51] they think they're just going to be walking into me. [40:54] And then once he feel my power and feel that, you know, [40:57] it ain't going to be that easy, we're going to have him on the back foot. [41:00] So first, unification fight opportunity here for you. [41:04] Biggest fight, I would imagine, of your career to date. [41:06] How do you see this fight playing out in the ring? [41:09] I see it as a domination for me. [41:12] I'm prepared for anything that he brings. [41:15] I'm ready. [41:17] And I'm ready to make a statement, man. [41:19] I don't just want to win. [41:21] I want to show the world that I'm the best. [41:24] And, you know, I'm willing to take the toughest challenges. [41:27] You said domination. [41:28] We haven't seen him dominated before. [41:29] What gives you that kind of confidence? [41:32] We ain't seen him in there with a fighter like me before. [41:34] All right. [41:35] I appreciate it, Shaq. [41:36] Emmanuel Navarrete, unified champion at 130 pounds. [41:41] How are you feeling heading into this matchup? [41:43] How are you doing? [41:46] How are you doing? [41:47] How are you doing? [41:48] How are you doing? [41:49] How are you doing? [41:50] We're completely happy that we're doing a couple of days out of this matchup. [41:53] What are you doing to me? [41:55] How are you doing? [41:57] and we know how important it would be to win on Saturday. [42:05] I think we are ready, we are prepared. [42:07] This preparation was a lot of work, [42:09] but we report 100% to reach this fight. [42:15] And I think it's going to be a good weekend. [42:19] Hi, y'all. Thank you all for being here. [42:23] I'm very happy that we're just days away from the fight. [42:26] We all know the importance of this fight [42:28] and of winning and of using and unifying this title. [42:31] And so, you know, without underestimating him, [42:34] we know exactly how important a victory would be. [42:37] We've made the preparation. We're ready. [42:38] We've done the hard work. [42:39] And I report myself as 100% here for this fight, [42:42] and I think it's going to be a good weekend. [42:44] Coming off a great win over Sugar Nunez, [42:46] what was different about you in that fight? [42:48] I think there were many things that we corrected or tried to work differently. [42:58] There were a lot of things. We corrected certain things. [43:02] We've worked on other things very differently. [43:04] We have a nutritionist working on the nutrition, [43:07] also in the type of preparation. [43:09] But we worked hard. [43:11] also in the preparation, but we worked hard, also on the preparation as well. [43:23] I also had to make some adjustments personally, [43:25] had to modify certain things. [43:26] But the most important part is that we really concentrated [43:29] and stuck to the game plan. [43:31] I think the results will be very convincing. [43:33] had to make some adjustments personally had to modify certain things but the [43:36] most important part is that we really concentrated and stuck to the game plan [43:40] I think the results will be very convincing. You did say at the last press [43:43] conference that you would stick your chin out there and let him hit it if it [43:47] would get him to engage with you. Do you think it's going to be difficult to get [43:51] him to fight your kind of fight? [44:05] I think it's a fight that people don't have to see. I think it's a fight that people don't have to see. [44:15] I think people are waiting for a good fight, mainly a war in the ring where we both [44:21] are going with the intention of going after the titles, of looking for victory. And I think [44:28] that refers to a more attractive, more strong, and even a little bit of [44:38] meaty, as we call it, in the box, right? [44:40] What does that mean? [44:41] A little bit of meaty, like the blood pressure. [44:45] Well, you know, I said that I was willing to allow him to hit me in the face so that we [44:51] can try to open up the fight. What I don't want is an entire night where we're just [44:55] jabbing each other and see who can jab more. I don't think that people should want to see [44:59] that fight, or should see that fight. I think they want to see a good fight. They want [45:02] to see a war. They want to see both fighters come in with the intention to get the titles [45:05] and to search for the victory. So what I refer to is an attractive fight, a tough fight, [45:10] maybe even a bloody fight. [45:12] How do you think he's going to try to fight? [45:29] I'm going to try to fight. I'm going to try to fight. I'm going to try to fight. I'm going to try to [45:34] work with me. I have some things for the sábado, very defined. However, what he [45:42] wants to do, if he wants to win, I just want to say that I'm going to put me at 100%. I'm going to be there, [45:49] defending them with the heart of these titles, which have costed me a lot. The pride, the [45:56] support of the W, the FIP, that are now in my power. I'm going to defend them with blood, [46:02] with sudor, with a lot of heart, and also trying to bring me to all my public who came to visit [46:08] me and see me from far away. [46:10] Truthfully, I don't know what he's going to do. I'm focused on myself, on the work I'm going to do. [46:18] So I'm going to do my work in the ring with the plan that he has regarding that. And with all due [46:22] respect, I'm not interested. I'm going to do my fight. I'm going to focus on myself. I have some [46:27] things that I have in mind that are very defined. But if he wants to win, I can say that I will come [46:32] in here at 100% with that desire to defend those titles with all of my heart, titles that cost me a [46:38] lot, with a lot of pride. These WBO and IBF titles, I'm going to be defending them with a [46:43] blood, sweat, and heart, and also with the willingness to deliver a great fight for the [46:47] people who are coming to see me from very far away. [46:50] Shock, let me turn to you. It seems like he's once again saying you're just going to try [46:55] to jab your way to a victory there, maybe trying to drag you into a tougher fight. [46:59] Do you think you're going to be able to avoid that? [47:01] I'm not really worried about nothing he's saying. He said something about I fight like [47:08] an amateur or whatever not too long ago. But at the end of the day, man, it's the sweet [47:14] science. I'm going to do what it takes to get the dub. Like I said, I'm coming in to dominate. [47:20] I'm going to show him come Saturday. He's doing all that talking like he's just this tough guy. [47:26] I'm going to show him I'm tough too. And, you know, it's going to be a great night, man. [47:31] I promise you, like, all that jab and talk and woo-dee-woo, he's going to feel a lot more than the jab. [47:36] I promise him that. [47:37] Emanuel, do you think he fights like an amateur? [47:43] No, no, no. O sea, pienso que es un peleador que no expone más de lo que a veces se ocupa [47:55] para ganar. Sin embargo, creo que es algo malo en cuanto a lo que le está entregando a su [48:04] público. Creo que por lo que nos pagan, por lo que estamos aquí, por lo que nos llaman [48:10] campeones es para que la gente venga a ver un espectáculo pues que de alguna forma se vea [48:15] compensado por el ticket que están comprando. [48:17] No, I just think that he's a type of fighter that doesn't really expose himself more than [48:26] it's necessary to win. However, I think that's actually bad regarding what you're giving to [48:30] the people for the reason that they pay for a ticket, for the reason that they're here, [48:34] for the reason that they call this champion. And so I think we want to give something as a form [48:39] of compensation for the people who are here. You stopped Sugar Nunez your last time out. [48:45] Do you think you can stop Oshaki Foster? [48:47] No lo sé, no lo sé. Estoy enfocado en trabajar, en llevar mi cuerpo al límite esta noche. [48:58] Sin embargo, como te digo, no, no, no sé qué va a pasar. [49:02] Sabemos lo que es Foster, respeto mucho su trabajo porque sé que es un peleador difícil, [49:07] complicado, fuerte, pues hay muchas cosas que hay que trabajar, no solamente es decir [49:14] voy a noquear y lo tengo que hacer, de repente hay otras cosas. Sin embargo, [49:19] solo quiero decir que esta pelea específicamente creo que es una de las más importantes, [49:26] no es la más importante en mi carrera y creo que pues esta noche me debo, me debo de ir al 100%, [49:32] debo de ir confiado en que puedo hacer una buena pelea y que puedo entregarle a ustedes, [49:41] al público, un combate pues que llevan esperando, ¿no? De repente hablo mucho en cuanto a los peleadores [49:49] que he enfrentado y de repente quiero esa guerra pero de repente también no sucede como lo esperaba. [49:54] Entonces esta noche quiero que sea así. Foster está poniendo una buena postura y creo que esa parte [50:00] me ayuda pues a conseguir esto que quiero, ¿no? Una buena pelea y creo que eso va a ser bueno para todos, [50:05] para el público, para él y para mí. [50:07] You know, I don't know, I'm focused on working, on coming and pushing my body to the limit, [50:14] so I don't know what's going to happen. We know the type of fighter he is, [50:17] we respect his work, he's a hard, complicated, strong fighter, so there's a lot of things that we need to work on. [50:22] I can't just say, oh, I'm going to knock him out, because there's a lot of things that I need to do. [50:26] But I would like to say that, you know, this is one of the most important fights, [50:29] if not the most, not the most important fight of my career, [50:32] and so I should come at 100% and confident that I can deliver a good fight, [50:37] deliver a great fight for the people who are expecting a great fight, [50:40] because sometimes people talk, or we've had fights where we talk about how we want it to be a war, [50:45] and sometimes it doesn't end up being a war, but I want this one, this fight to be a war, [50:50] and so he's doing his part, and I think that's going to help, [50:54] and I'm going to do my part so that the people can walk away with having seen a good fight. [50:59] Shock, I'll give you the last word. [51:02] I think the winner of this fight, clearly number one at 130, [51:06] the winner of this fight, most likely fighter of the year, [51:10] the winner of this fight probably enters the top ten in the pound-for-pound. [51:14] What are people going to be saying about you after this fight? [51:17] They're going to be saying he's the best fighter in the world, hands down. [51:22] I'm going to show it Saturday night. [51:24] I love what he's saying up here because, you know, it just put more chips on my shoulder, man. [51:31] I'm ready, man, and I hope you all see everything he's saying [51:37] because I've hurt every opponent that I fought. [51:39] It ain't just been behind the jab, and he's going to see my speed, my power, [51:43] is something that he's never witnessed in the ring again. [51:46] He's going to see Saturday night. [51:48] All right. [51:49] Emmanuel, I'll just turn to you one more time. [51:52] Do you think his speed and power are things that you've never seen before? [51:55] His power and his speed is something that you've never seen in the ring. [51:58] Are you fighting with him? [52:01] And if you've seen him a type of speed in the ring? [52:04] No, the truth, there are many players with much more speed, much more power. [52:10] To face players like Foster, maybe not like that, [52:14] but I think I've passed my career with players or rivals that are close to him a lot, [52:21] and I think, well, somehow I have a little experience with some player, no? [52:25] Not 100%, but there's something. [52:27] No, I don't know. [52:30] There are lots of fighters who might be faster or might have more power, [52:34] and with Foster, maybe I haven't fought anyone who's exactly like him, [52:37] but in the fighters of my career, I've fought many who come very close, [52:40] and so you could say that I do have some experience fighting a guy like him. [52:44] Maybe not 100%, but I have some experience. [52:46] All right. [52:47] Both these guys ready to go. [52:49] Frostbank Center, Saturday, 8 o'clock Eastern, 5 Pacific, 7 o'clock Central Time, [52:54] 130-pound supremacy on the line, two best super featherweights in boxing today. [53:01] We're going to face these guys off, be right back here for the weigh-in on Friday. [53:05] Magazine title on the line, 130-pound supremacy, fire against ice, [53:54] and it is a huge weekend on DAZN starting in Sheffield with a homecoming for Dalton Smith [54:04] when he defends his WBC super lightweight title against Alberto Pueyo, [54:08] and, of course, the fight that we've been talking about right here in San Antonio, Texas, [54:14] a super featherweight unification between WBO and IBF champion Emmanuel Navarrete [54:19] and WBC champion Oshaki Foster. [54:23] A massive night of championship boxing live on DAZN. [54:27] And before all that action, join us tomorrow right here for the official weigh-ins [54:34] to see both fighters square off one final time. [54:38] On October 24th, fire meets ice. [54:52] Navarrete brings the chaos. [54:54] Foster brings the composure. [54:58] Fire. Ice. [55:02] Who takes control of the division? [55:07] Find out on Saturday Fight Night, October 24th, live on DAZN.