The champion’s crisp combination repeatedly landed in the first two rounds and by the end of the 2nd, Mijares (115) had bloodied and in all probability broken Navarro’s nose. The challenger’s corner worked overtime to try and stop the flow of blood but the crimson river was only beginning to flow unimpeded for the remainder of the title fight for Navarro (115).
Mijares, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico repeatedly scored with laser-like right jabs that continued to draw blood and land with wicked authority. Mijares, 5′6″, was able to pull the trigger on one jab at a time followed by two, three and even four resounding right hands that continued to drill the challenger between the eyes through the first one-sided six rounds.
The 26-year-old Navarro, 5′5 ½”, was valiant but he simply lacked the champion’s hand speed and movement to catch up to Mijares’ relentless attack. Navarro rallied briefly in the 6th, but Mijares jolted the challenger with a clean left cross square on the chin followed by a right hook that rocked the challenger back on his heels.
By the 9th, Navarro’s snow white trunks had begun to turn to a stomach churning pinkish hue, the result of Mijares’ accuracy with his right jab. Navarro did have his moments but Mijares’ faster hands and movement allowed him to get the angle on the challenger and repeatedly bounce swift punches off of his skull.
Both men showed the effects of the clinchless battle by the start of the 11th, with heavy swelling around both of the challenger’s eyes and Mijares sporting welts under both of his orbs. At the 2:26 mark of the round, the champion stung Navarro with a rapid-fire five-shot combination to the head, reloaded and landed another volley of leather. With 1:43 to go in the 11th, Mijares connected with another flurry of shots and he opened up a cut over the corner of Navarro’s right eye. Blood began pouring from the wound and the referee Mora eventually called time to have the cut examined. After the champion connected with another series of telling blows the referee Mora again stopped the fight to have Navarro’s cuts examined but the carnage would continue until the final bell.
Cristian Mijares returned to scoring with whip-like shots for the remainder of the fight and despite his bravery and skill, once more the bloody but unbowed Jose Navarro failed to have his hand raised in a world title fight.
Undercard: The son of legendary world champion Thomas Hearns, Ronald “The Chosen One” Hearns (18-0, 14 KO’s) remained undefeated against largely suspect opposition by scoring a eight round knockout over Missouri’s Juan Astorga (12-2-1, 7 KO’s) in a junior middleweight clash. Former WBC 108-pound champion and American Olympian Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria (21-2, 12 KO’s) kept his title hopes alive by posting an eight round unanimous decision over Cesar Lopez (20-6, 4 KO’s).
