Emanuel Navarrete vs Francisco Horta Odds & Picks

• Navarrete vs Horta goes Saturday, December 7th, at 10:00 PM ET
• Navarrete is heavily favored to add yet another W to an already impressive 2019 campaign
• Can Horta shake up the super bantamweight title picture heading into 2020?

Emanuel Navarrete and Francisco Horta will meet in a 12-round affair for the WBO world super bantamweight title (122 pounds) at Auditorio GNP Seguros in Puebla, Mexico, this Saturday (Dec. 7). The pugilistic proceedings will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Navarrete looks to defend his title for the third time in less than 120 days. Horta is looking to halt that torrid pace and has gone unbeaten in his last 13 bouts. Odds and analysis for this prizefight can be found by scrolling down.

Navarrete vs Horta Odds

Odds taken Dec. 4

Navarrete is no stranger to these kinds of odds heading into prizefights. He will be looking to make his fourth successful title defense of 2019, a rare feat for a modern-day boxing champion to achieve.

Navarrete has really come out in a big way in the last 365 days. Consecutive victories over well-regarded titlist Isaac Dogboe followed by successful defenses in August and September have galvanized Navarrete’s resume. The Dogboe victories shocked the boxing world so it’s pertinent to not underestimate Horta here. The champion was a pretty big underdog not all that long go.

That being said, the safe bet lies in Navarrete retaining.

Navarrete Notches Another Title Defense

Horta comes into his fight riding a ten-fight winning streak. Upon closer examination, though, Horta has only been scheduled for something above eight rounds once (a 10-round majority decision win over Denovan Salazar four years ago). Horta has not faced the strength of schedule Navarrete has.

There’s also something to be said for the rate of activity. Much has been made of Navarrete’s pace this calendar year, but Horta has conversely only fought once in 2019. The reigning champion is more of a proven commodity at the championship level and often proves that in highlight-reel fashion.

https://twitter.com/boxnationtv/status/1127967236222857216

Navarrete enters the ring for his 31st pro fight but is only 24 years old. The future is quite bright for the young pugilist.

All of Navarrete’s title defenses have occurred in the US but he’ll be defending on home soil this time. The partisan crowd in Mexico should serve to further bolster an already pronounced competitive fire in the champion.

Potential high-stakes bouts with Rey Vargas or Daniel Roman could come to fruition in 2020. He has to keep his eye on the prize with this bout though and maintain his status heading into the new year. After all, everybody has a puncher’s chance.

Navarrete vs Horta Tale of the Tape

That being said, Horta doesn’t have the most favorable knockout rate to put much behind the puncher’s chance narrative. With a KO rate of fifty percent, he’ll likely need to showcase superior technique and savvier ringcraft over the entire twelve-round contest.

Navarrete will look to test his knockout prowess against a durable opponent. Of the three losses Horta has, he has never been halted. Navarrete has an 86-percent knockout rate, though, and I think he’s up to the task of handing Horta his first KO loss. I see Navarrete winning by TKO inside of six rounds.

Pick: Emanuel Navarrete (-2500)