Photos: Navarrete Embraced By Cotto, Calderon, Pedraza, WBO

Current Junior Featherweight Champion Emanuel ‘El Vaquero’ Navarrete was recognized by the World Boxing Organization (WBO) today, during the 22nd Annual WBO Golf Tournament at ‘El Legado Golf Club’ in Guayama. This edition of the annual golf competition serves as preamble to the Thirty-Second Annual WBO Convention, which will be held in the city of Tokyo, Japan, from December 2 until Thursday, December 5, 2019.

Navarrete, who has successfully defended his title three times this year, winning all by knockout said, “I’m very happy to be here in Puerto Rico with the WBO. I will continue working hard to continue defending the title and I hope to continue climbing divisions. I hope to continue fighting for the WBO as they were the first to give me the opportunity to be world champion.”

“When I mentioned on social media that Navarrete is the best 122 pounds in the world, many criticized me but now time proved me right,” said WBO president Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel Mulero. “Navarrete has the punch of Wilfredo Gómez when he was at 122 pounds and we know he will continue to give much to talk about. The sky is the limit for him.”

Winners of the Golf tournament:

Five-time World Champion Miguel Cotto won second place in the Net category and Gino Rodriguez, WBO Vice President won ‘The Straightest Shot’.

Meanwhile, in the 'Gross' category, Jonathan Rodriguez won first place, Angel Woods took second place and Francisco Martinez took third place.

In addition, the Sportsmanship Award went to Andrew Horn, Esq.

WBO executive officers, promoters, managers, boxers and other boxing personalities worldwide participated in the tournament.

The event was to benefit the successful global program ‘WBO Kids Drug Free’.

WBO Kids Drug Free is an international program aimed at children and young people in order to carry a message of drug prevention and motivate them to continue studying, using sports as a tool to stay on the right path, as well that support causes directed to those in need in order to ensure a better quality of life.

This Saturday, October 26, 'WBO Champions Tournament' continues at Rubén Zayas Coliseum in the city of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, where WBO Mini-Flyweight World Champion Wilfredo Méndez will make his first title defense against Mexican Axel Aragon.

In other WBO bouts, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games gold medal Felix Diaz (20-3, 10 KOs), of Dominican Republic, will face Mexican Darío Fermán (18-6, 15 KOs ) for the vacant WBO Latino Welterweight title.

Dominican Yenifel Vicente (35-4-2, 27 KOs) faces Mexican Rodolfo Hernández (30-7-1, 28 kos) for the WBO Latino Jr. Featherweight title, and Dominican Frency Fortunato (7-0, 6 kos) faces Mexican Marcos Muñiz (14-0, 11 kos) for the WBO Youth Jr. Featherweight belt.