The pursuit of a rematch with Mexican Emanuel Navarrete continues as Charly Suarez returns to the ring in 11 July in California.
The Filipino fighter meets Mexican-American Manuel Avila, who has a 23-2-1 win-loss-draw record with eight knockouts.
The fight is being staged by Suarez’s new promoter Samson Lewkowicz.
To prepare for Avila, Suarez spent a few weeks in Hawaii training but he has now relocated to Las Vegas with chief trainer Delfin Boholst.
Suarez is keeping himself busy and sharp in the hopes of securing a rematch with Navarrete in September in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to business manager Ric Navalta.
Being the mandatory challenger to Navarrete’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-featherweight title, the 37-year-old Suarez is not leaving any stone unturned.
Navarrete and Suarez had faced off in May last year in San Diego, California, and Suarez should have been awarded a technical knockout win owing to a hideous cut on the Mexican.
Instead, referee Ed Collantes ruled that the cut was caused by a headbutt and under the rules, the fight would have to be decided by the scoresheets.
Navarrete was ahead at the time of the stoppage but a review of the bout, it was clear that a punch had opened a cut.
The result was then changed to a No-Contest by the California State Athletic Commission, allowing Suarez to keep his record unblemished at 18-0-0 with ten knockouts.
The WBO then installed Suarez as mandatory challenger.
But Navarrete was allowed to fight Eduardo Nuñez last February in a unification duel and won.
Still, there seems to be no end in sight for Suarez’s quest for a second meeting with Navarrete.