Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete hopes to join an elite circle of his Mexican countrymen, but he’ll have to venture into a new weight class against one of its top contenders.

Navarrete will take on Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight world championship on Saturday, May 18 at Pechanga Arena San Diego. The fighting pride of San Juan Zitlaltepec will attempt to join Mexican-born warriors Erik Morales, Jorge Arce, Juan Manuel Marquez, Leo Santa Cruz, and Canelo Alvarez in becoming a four-weight world champion.

In the welterweight co-feature, San Diego’s Giovani Santillan, the WBO No. 1 contender, returns in front of the hometown fans against an opponent to be named.

“The San Diego boxing fans are passionate, and we are thrilled to be bringing Emanuel Navarrete back to Pechanga Arena as he bids to become a four-weight world champion,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “We are also excited to showcase San Diego’s hometown hero, Giovani Santillan, a wonderful young man who I believe will be a welterweight world champion before long.”

Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs) captured his first world title by upsetting Isaac Dogboe for the WBO junior featherweight crown in December 2018. After five defenses, he moved up to featherweight, where he handed Ruben Villa his first pro defeat to become a two-weight champion. The 29-year-old defended his belt three times before climbing up to junior lightweight to stop Liam Wilson in the ninth round to secure the WBO strap. Navarrete made two defenses in this third weight class, decisioning former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez in an all-Mexican showdown in August and dropping Brazilian Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceição twice en route to a majority draw in November.

Navarrete said, “Capturing a world title is a unique challenge, but the possibility of doing it four weight classes is a goal that fills me with motivation and gratitude. It will be an honor to join that select group of Mexican warriors who have made their mark in boxing history. And to be able to do it in front of fans in San Diego and from Tijuana will be an unforgettable experience. Feeling their support and energy in the ring will propel me to do my best and secure this victory for Mexico.”

Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs), a 2012 Olympic silver medalist on the same team as Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, began his professional career in 2015. Berinchyk overcame stiff tests on his ascent up the lightweight ladder. In 2021, he vanquished Jose Sanchez via third-round TKO in March and decisioned Isa Chaniev across 12 rounds in December. After a one-year break, he defeated Yvan Mendy to win European honors. He followed up the Mendy win last August with a convincing decision over former world title challenger Anthony Yigit in Poland. The 35-year-old will have his first world title opportunity as he makes his U.S. debut.

Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs), who turned pro in May 2012, has steadily ascended the welterweight rankings. In 2022, he stopped Jeovanis Barraza in the seventh round before making his second Pechanga Arena appearance by giving Julio Luna his first pro loss on the undercard of Navarrete’s featherweight title defense against Eduardo Baez. He returned in July 2023 to best Erick Bone via 10-round decision. In his last outing, he stunned the boxing world with a one-sided, six-round demolition of number one contender Alexis Rocha at Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Santillan is on the precipice of becoming the second San Diego-born world champion, following Paul Vaden, who captured the IBF junior middleweight world title in 1995.

“After my last win, I’m excited to keep the ball rolling. I showed everyone what I could do and earned the WBO No. 1 ranking. I am looking forward to continuing with those types of performances and showing why I deserve a title shot,” Santillan said. “I want to gain more fans in San Diego, grow the fan base in my hometown, and pave the way for other fighters from my city. There hasn’t been a San Diego-born champion in a long time, and I want to be the next one.”

San Diego-born welterweight contender Giovani “Gallo De Oro” Santillan has an opponent for his homecoming. The WBO No. 1-ranked fighter at 147 pounds will take on fellow unbeaten Brian Norman Jr. in a 12-round showdown on Saturday, May 18 at Pechanga Arena.

Santillan-Norman will be the co-feature to the vacant WBO lightweight title tilt between Mexican three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and Ukraine’s Denys Berinchyk.

“Brian Norman Jr. is a highly skilled young fighter,” Santillan said. “I get so much motivation from my city, and fighting at Pechanga Arena is always special. May 18 will be a great night, and I can’t wait to give my fans another victory.”

Norman said, “This is the big fight I have been waiting for. It’s time to show the world what I’m about.”

Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) upset Alexis Rocha last October to earn the WBO No. 1 ranking. He returns to Pechanga Arena, the site of two of his greatest triumphs. In October 2021, Santillan notched a 10-round decision over Angel Ruiz on the Navarrete-Joet Gonzalez undercard. The following August, he turned away the game Julio Luna on the Navarrete-Eduardo Baez bill. He hopes to make it three for three in front of the hometown fans. Norman (25-0, 19 KOs), a former U.S. amateur star, is a six-year pro taking a sizable step up in class. He went 3-0 in 2023, capping off the year with a one-sided verdict over Quinton Randall on the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos card in Las Vegas. Norman made his 2024 debut in March, fighting to a no contest with Janelson Bocachica after Bocachica suffered a severe cut on his forehead.

In undercard action, streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+:

Lightweight phenom Emiliano Fernando Vargas (9-0, 7 KOs) will see action in a six-rounder, Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs) returns in an eight-rounder at lightweight, and Robert Garcia-trained junior welterweight Art Barrera Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs) looks to make it five straight in a four-rounder. Vargas, Garcia, and Barrera were all victorious on March 29 in Glendale, Arizona.

Bay Area lightweight prospect Charlie Sheehy (9-0, 5 KOs) takes on Manuel Jaimes (15-1-1, 11 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Sheehy is coming off February’s shutout decision over Abdel Sauceda, while James has won three in a row since the lone defeat of his career.

Junior lightweight prospect Jonathan Lopez (14-0, 10 KOs) looks to break the four-fight winning streak of Mexican veteran Edgar Ortega (14-2-2, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Lopez, who is trained by Eddy Reynoso, went 5-0 in 2023 and defeated Eduardo Baez via 10-round decision last June.

San Diego-born lightweight Jonny Mansour will make his highly anticipated pro debut in a four-rounder. Mansour was a top amateur, winning a National Golden Gloves crown in 2023 and capturing a 2020 National Championships silver medal.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com.

About ESPN

In the UK, ESPN operates a successful and growing business that includes a collection of leading sports websites and apps, an expanding sports content sales business, live and on-demand streaming service ESPN Player, and a long-term collaboration with BT Sport that includes BT Sport operating an ESPN-branded channel as part of its television business.

ESPN UK combines bespoke content from an experienced London-based team with the best writing on other sites in ESPN’s global digital portfolio, including ESPNcricinfo.com and ESPN FC. More than 100 staff from multiple locations contribute to ESPN UK’s coverage across football, rugby, cricket, tennis, boxing and golf, offering both a local and global view.

ESPN’s UK business is part of ESPN International, a division of ESPN, Inc., which has grown to include ownership — in whole or in part — of 26 television networks outside of the United States, as well as a variety of additional businesses that allow ESPN to reach sports fans in more than 60 countries and territories across all seven continents. Since 1983, ESPN (founded in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1979) has grown around the world, establishing itself as the leading global sports media brand – ESPN.com is one of the world’s leading sports websites. The company’s philosophy to global growth is to always serve sports fans and be locally relevant to them, with content and products that tap into their great passion and dedication. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

About Top Rank

Innovation has been the standard at Top Rank since it was established in 1966 by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum. The boxing industry’s leading promotional company, Top Rank has shaped, developed, and promoted the careers of top international pay-per-view superstars and Hall of Famers, including Muhammad Ali, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Arguello, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, Erik Morales, Terence Crawford, and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Top Rank has promoted some of the most memorable fights in the sport’s history, including 26 Ali events, Leonard vs. Hearns, Pryor vs. Arguello, Duran vs. Leonard, Hagler vs. Hearns, Leonard vs. Hagler, Foreman vs. Holyfield, Morales vs. Barrera, De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, and the most lucrative fight in boxing history, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. In addition to the previously mentioned super fights, Top Rank possesses one of the largest sports libraries, which includes nearly 10,000 fights.

Known for creating strategic collaborations between athletes, sponsors, and television networks, Top Rank has been an architect of boxing’s global growth by staging high-profile events in landmark settings around the world, including Madison Square Garden, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Staples Center, Wembley Arena, Araneta Coliseum, The Venetian Macao, Yankee Stadium, Radio City Music Hall, The “Fabulous” Forum, and AT&T Stadium. Top Rank has also been the leader within the boxing industry in creating unforgettable in-arena experiences for fans and embracing 21st century technological advancements to distribute world-class fights and shoulder programming across a variety of platforms.