Emanuel Navarrete vs. Francisco De Vaca: Viewing guide and live stream

Super bantamweights collide when Emanuel Navarrete defends his WBO title against undefeated Francisco De Vaca on ESPN on Saturday, Aug. 17.

Super bantamweights don’t receive enough love, but it’s a stacked division. On Saturday, Aug. 17, WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete (27-1, 23 KOs) defends his WBO title against undefeated Francisco De Vaca (20-0, 6 KOs) on Top Rank’s featured card on ESPN.

The 24-year-old Navarrete is quickly becoming a household name. He left his mark after he upset the then-undefeated Isaac Dogboe (20-2, 14 KOs). Navarrete brutalized Dogboe in the 12-round affair in December of 2018, but he proved his performance was no fluke.

He fought Dogboe again in May, but this time he stopped Dogboe in the 12th and final round. The young fighter from Mexico landed power punches all night against Dogboe and wore him down until he had nothing left. Navarrete will try to pick up where he left off against De Vaca.

De Vaca’s record is impressive, but his résumé is lacking. He’s undefeated in his 20 professional bouts, but he’s a sizable underdog against Navarrete. The Sportsbook Review has the odds against him by as much as 9-1.

The bout will be nationally televised on ESPN starting at 10 p.m. ET. This provides Navarrete with a big stage to try and continue to raise his profile on a big stage.

Navarrete vs. De Vaca should be an entertaining bout, but there are several contests on the undercard worth watching.

Also being televised on ESPN’s broadcast is the featherweight matchup between Jessie Magdaleno (26-1, 18 KOs) and Rafael Rivera (27-3-2, 18 KOs). Magdaleno has one loss on his record which came against Dogboe in 2018. He’s now campaigning as a featherweight hoping to secure a title shot in the near future.

The remaining undercard bouts can be viewed on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. There are several featured prospects, but one of the most intriguing matches is between welterweights Chris van Heerden (27-2-1, 12 KOs ) and Aslanbek Kozaev (33-2-1, 8 KOs).

Van Heerden is 32 years old, and his hoping to work himself into title contention with an impressive victory over Kozaev.

• Fight Date: Saturday, Aug. 17
• Undercard broadcast: 6:30 p.m. ET (on ESPN+)
• Main Event start time: 10 p.m. ET (on ESPN)
• Location: Los Angeles, CA (Banc of California Stadium)

Tune in to ESPN at 10 p.m. ET to view the WBO super bantamweight bout between Navarrete and De Vaca.