After crushing Eduardo Nunez on Saturday, the conversation quickly shifted to whether WBO and IBF junior welterweight champion Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs, 1 NC) should be considered for a prestigious, yet subjective accolade.

“I think it's time to see him on the pound-for-pound list,” Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn said during the post-fight press conference at the Desert Diamond Arena in Arizona.

“I have to say, what a fighter Navarrete is. I've watched a lot of boxing for 40 years, and I have never seen a fighter so relaxed, awkward, and dangerous. He wasn't breathing. He doesn't look like, ‘This guy should fight like that.’ He has a style that causes anybody problems. He's an incredible fighter.”

Navarrete is not on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, but after his vicious beating of Nunez, the former 122- and 126-pound titleholder and The Ring’s new No. 1-rated 130-pounder certainly started trending toward serious consideration.

However, it can’t be forgotten that Navarrete is fortunate that his fight against Charly Suarez in May didn’t result in a loss. Navarrete originally walked away with a technical decision that was later ruled a No Contest when previously unavailable footage showed a punch caused a fight-ending cut and not a headbutt.

Navarrete came into the Nunez fight with a record of 1-1-1, as well as the No Contest, over his last four fights, with the loss coming in his lone lightweight bout against Denys Berinchyk for a vacant title.

Despite the uneven results, Carl Moretti, Top Rank’s vice president of boxing operations, further stamped Hearn’s pound-for-pound sentiment.

“If he hasn't already, he certainly should be on the pound-for-pound list,” said Moretti. “What you've seen in the past is all a result of tonight. When you're fighting for world titles across different weight classes, it shines on a night like tonight.

“No disrespect to Nunez. He was the biggest puncher in the division, and it was a very competitive one-sided fight. As the fight went on, Navarrete hit second gear. His length is his best advantage, and that's a problem for any division.”

“Vaquero” Navarrete revived his career with a vengeance at the age of 31 by reinventing his training and nutrition program.

Nunez (29-2, 27 KOs) had to suffer the consequences. He was never really in the fight, and the action got even more out of hand once his tattered right eye started shutting in the ninth round.

Hearn couldn't stomach the one-sided traffic and urged the resilient Nunez to be saved from himself, which was ultimately the case when the ringside physician advised the fight to end one second into the 11th round.

“I felt that Sugar was going to get stopped,” said Hearn. “He couldn't see, and at that stage, there was no way of winning the fight. So for me, I hate going over to the corner, because that's their job. But I felt like the fight should have been stopped. They left it in the hands of the doctor, and for me, the doctor should have stopped it a round before, but they gave him an opportunity. I'm glad the fight was stopped when it was.

“Nunez is devastated at the moment. I told him Navarrete is the best of the best. Everyone saw how much heart he had and that he didn't quit. He never stopped, even when he couldn't see. He just wanted to keep going, and I told him you're not the best yet. But he's probably second. He'll be out for a while with the eye, but he will be back, and I believe he will be a world champion again.

“Coming into this fight, they said Navarrete has a new fitness trainer and nutritionist. You saw the difference. When he doesn't take it so seriously, sometimes he becomes a little unstuck. When he does [take it seriously], which he clearly did in this fight, he is going to be difficult to beat.”

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.