Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs, 1 NC) wants to prove that his relentless and unorthodox fighting style will be the difference maker when he faces O'Shaquie Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) in a junior lightweight title unification fight Saturday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. Their 12-round fight will headline a Top Rank card DAZN will stream worldwide (8 p.m. ET; 1 a.m. BST).

Navarrete is the IBF and WBO champion, and Foster is the WBC titleholder. The vacant Ring title will also be on the line since the matchup features the two top-rated fighters in their division – Navarrete is ranked No. 1 by The Ring at 130 pounds, and Foster is second.

“We will pressure him at all times,” Navarrete told The Ring through a translator. “We know how he fights. I think the one that wins the fight is the one who tries to look for the fight more and who is more accurate that night.

“I think he’s gonna develop a plan to try to deal with my pressure in the best way possible, but we’re gonna do everything to make that difficult and impossible for him. [Whether it’s a ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate] depends on Foster and the kind of fight that he brings.”

Navarrete, a former 122- and 126-pound titleholder, is coming into the fight against Foster sporting one of the best wins of his 14-year career. He added the IBF belt to his WBO title thanks to an 11th-round, one-sided stoppage of Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in February.

The eye-catching performance momentarily catapulted Navarrete into The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, and it cleansed the uneven run that preceded it.

Before the Nunez fight, Navarrete was fortunate not to endure a loss against Charly Suarez in May 2025, when the fight was originally ruled a technical decision win for Navarrete following a cut across his left eye that ended the fight one second into the eighth round. Previously unseen replay footage after the event showed that a punch from Suarez actually sliced Navarrete's skin.

Suarez was surging and coming on strong at the time, though the scores were close. The California State Athletic Commission later ruled the fight a no-contest.

Prior to the bout with Suarez, Navarrete dropped Oscar Valdez three times in a rematch and enjoyed a sixth-round knockout win in December 2024. The performance came after Navarrete delivered a dud in his lightweight debut – a split-decision loss against Denys Berinchyk in May 2024 for the vacant WBO title.

Before the bout against Berinchyk, Navarrete fought to a majority draw against Robson Conceicao, despite dropping the Brazilian twice in November 2023.

All in all, Navarrete is 2-1-1 and fought to a no-contest over the last three years.

The rollercoaster ride has sportsbooks favoring Foster as the -185 betting favorite in the bout. Navarrete is a +145 underdog.

“I think oddsmakers realize the kind of talent that he has, and that’s why they see him as the favorite,” Navarrete said. “[My uneven run over the last five fights] may have influenced that … I’m very conscious of that, but I’m going to try my very best on fight night. I hope that it’s a different fight, and that it’s a better fight.

“Foster looks good, confident and solid as a champion, and it’s going to be an excellent fight. It did impress me to see him beat Stephen Fulton and Raymond Ford, and it speaks to the high level of fighter that he is.”

After trading split decisions against Conceicao, Foster is riding high on a three-fight winning streak, with the most recent victory being a hard-fought, majority-decision victory over Ford in May. Foster also has wins against Rey Vargas and Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez.

Navarrete, meanwhile, is as confident as ever after attaining newfound momentum following a dominant win against Nunez.

“We’re working a lot, and I’m very focused,” Navarrete said. “My preparation is good, and I can report that I feel even better than I did for my last camp against Nunez. I hope that everything goes really well. I think with the mentality of trying to come in there and do better, anything is possible, and we can do better.

“I’m willing to give 100 percent of myself and do everything I can to make a great fight, but it really depends on Foster and the kind of fight he brings.”

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