Unbeaten Denys Berinchyk (19-0, 9 KOs) claimed the vacant WBO lightweight title with a twelve-round split decision over three-division world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. Berinchyk secured the victory with scores of 116-112 and 115-113 on two judges’ cards, while Navarrete won 116-112 on the third card.

The fight was a sloppy and awkward affair from the start. In the opening round, Navarrete pressed the action while Berinchyk stalked his opponent. Navarrete connected with a hard right hand early in the second round and chased Berinchyk around the ring, leading to an exchange in the closing seconds. Berinchyk picked up the pace in the third round, using his jab to keep Navarrete at bay as the Mexican fighter continued to throw looping punches.

As the fight progressed, Navarrete attacked the body and landed several low blows in the fifth round, but Berinchyk maintained his composure and kept working his jab. Despite Navarrete landing the cleaner punches, Berinchyk’s activity and determination made it difficult for Navarrete to dominate. By the halfway mark, Navarrete was pressing the fight and staying busy, but Berinchyk held his ground against the three-division champion.

In the ninth round, Navarrete continued to stalk Berinchyk, who mixed up his attacks and kept fighting back. The tenth round saw rougher action, with referee Jack Reiss warning Berinchyk for holding. The pro-Navarrete crowd chanted for their fighter as he kept the pressure on, but Berinchyk did not back down. In the championship rounds, Berinchyk slipped and fell in the eleventh, prompting another warning from Reiss for holding Navarrete by the head. Both fighters stayed busy in the final round, battling to the last bell.

After twelve rounds, the judges scored the bout 116-112 for Navarrete, 116-112 for Berinchyk, and 115-113 for Berinchyk. With the win, Denys Berinchyk becomes the new WBO lightweight champion, coinciding with his countryman Oleksandr Usyk capturing the undisputed heavyweight title the same night.