Oscar Valdez enjoyed Saturday night, after it turned out that many of those who doubt were wrong, as KO’s victory over Miguel Berchelt was as solid and as impressive as the new title could have been. World WBC Junior Lightweight.
After 10 rounds, most of which were spent dictating the fight in the direction he wanted to take it, Valdez stunned the boxing world even more, landing a devastating punch on Berchelt’s face, which took Berchelt out in the cold and ended the fight with just one. second. left on tour.
Brett Okamoto and Michael Rothstein break down the highlights of the night in Las Vegas and project what follows for both fighters, as well as the Top Rank Boxing schedule in the future. Ben Baby is reacting to Adrien Broner’s return to the ring for the first time in almost two years as well.
After the biggest career gain, what’s next for Oscar Valdez?
Rothstein: Valdez fought the perfect fight. An absolutely perfect fight. From the first round, all Valdez did was one step ahead of Miguel Berchelt, ending it with a vicious knockout with a fist in the 10th round, a left hook right in the middle of Berchelt’s face.
The way the fight ended included the way Valdez fought all night. He removes a Berchelt fist, gets up, and connects to send Berchelt on the canvas.
It was a consistent combination of speed and efficient landing hooks from Valdez throughout the night. The strategy stunned Berchelt in the first two rounds, bringing Valdez a knockdown in the fourth round, a second knockdown in the ninth and then finally a knockout in the 10th.
Until then, the only thing that would have stopped Valdez from winning the title was a miracle by Berchelt (37-2-0, 33 KOs), who didn’t seem to have left too many rounds before that moment.
This victory strengthens Valdez’s CV (29-0, 23 KOs), who now becomes a starter in his second division after six defenses of the WBO graft world title. Now that he is a starter again, the new WBC junior lightweight world title has options.
His next potential opponent would have been placed in the ring. The fight for money for Valdez could very well be against Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated defeated star who also happens to be part of the Top Rank fighter stable. He is also the 2nd place fighter in the WBC division, so it could make sense from this point of view as well.
Congratulations champion @ oscarvaldez56 Respect what you did tonight surprised me .. There is only 1 FIGHT to do now!
– Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) February 21, 2021
Stevenson-Valdez would be an interesting contrast of styles and a fight that could put fans in the middle of the year. Valdez was open even after the fight, suggesting even in his post-fight interview.
It is a struggle to be made and it seems to make the most sense in the immediate future. The other option, if Valdez decides he wants to try to unite the division, will be to watch Jamel Herring-Carl Frampton’s fight later this spring and wait for the winner.
But even with this fight there, Stevenson seems to be the smarter way to go.
How did he lose Berchelt and what’s next for him?
Okamoto: Berchelt did not lose his title as much as Valdez took. Let’s clarify this immediately. Valdez looked masterful from the start, and Berchelt was amazed and disappeared in the fourth round, when Valdez put him on his left skates and received his first knockdown. Valdez may have finished it right there if the bell hadn’t arrived. Berchelt showed a lot of heart in the next rounds and tried to change the tide with nothing more than pressure and strength.
It was clear, however, that he had no answer, at least not on Saturday, for Valdez’s speed and position. Berchelt seemed lost in time. He never looked comfortable on the counter and abandoned it more or less after the fourth round, when he engaged in a high-pressure approach. At 29, he is still one of the most important junior weights in the world, but unfortunately he will have to prove that it is still the case next year or after such a result. He will have to prove that the devastating nature of this loss does not change his ability to take a fist or the desire to take a fist.
If and when he faces another fast, technical boxer, such as Valdez – or Vasiliy Lomachenko, whom he would have called if it had gone differently on Saturday – he will have to prove that he learned from this disaster. He’ll probably need some kind of comeback fight, an opponent who doesn’t rank in the top five of the division. If all goes well, a title fight will not be far off.
He may also be thinking about gaining weight, which would have been a post-fight issue if he had won, but there’s no reason to believe that £ 130 still can’t be a great home for Berchelt. But there will be inevitable questions that he will have to answer when he returns.
Boxing needs fans again
Okamoto: I was in the ring for tonight’s fight in Las Vegas. I thought this was going to be a night where fans would be missed – I just thought it was due to a back and forth war and not a unilateral masterclass by Valdez. But regardless, the reality is the same. Boxing was very much missed by the fans tonight.
There was a moment before the outings, when the ballroom at MGM went dark and the house music went out. It was one of those moments that lets everyone in the building know that the main event fighters are about to go. I’ve lived this feeling in an arena full of hundreds of times and I can’t even really say how strange it felt on Saturday. It was so quiet that you could hear individual conversations in the room.
When the fighters went and were announced – honestly, I think Top Rank does a good job of making as much energy as you can – but it’s just barely connected to a real crowd. And, of course, the fight itself, when Valdez left Berchelt in the fourth, and Berchelt was trying to open his victory in the next rounds, when he was still injured, a lot would have added so much to that. We hope we’re close to that.
Top Rank thinks Saturday was his last night in the balloon. The promotion plans to move to Florida and / or Oklahoma for the next events in April and then return to Vegas in May – at a time when, hopefully, fans will be allowed to participate again.
Gabriel Flores Jr. finds big KO as rising prospects get rounds on card under Berchelt-Valdez
Rothstein: Gabriel Flores Jr. looked less than sharp. Jayson Velez landed a few fists and worked out a few combinations. But then, in the sixth round, 20-year-old Flores showed why he is considered a growing prospect in the light junior division.
A right to Velez’s head knocked him down once. A series of punches ended the fight a few moments later, blocking an important victory for the native of Stockton, California. It was a great showcase in the co-main event, catching the fans who tuned in a little early for that title fight.
Flores managed to organize a knockout – his first in the third round of KO of Eduardo Pereira Dos Reis on May 4, 2019 – was an additional bonus, as it was only his second knockout in the last 14 fights. He revealed some of Flores’ combined speed and power. After the fight, Flores said he “sent a statement that I was ready for a world title.”
This is soon felt for him, given the power of the division. Beyond Berchelt and Valdez, there are also Shakur Stevenson, Leo Santa Cruz, Joseph Diaz Jr., Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, Jamel Herring and many more in the division.
But it was an impressive demonstration that should give a real chance to a high level opponent. If Flores wins that fight, then maybe there is a title shot in its near future, especially since the IBF belt is currently vacant.
The other two prospects on the underground card – junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) and welterweight Xander Zayas (7-0, 5 KOs) – received rounds, which was essential for both developments with Rodriguez in 12 professional fights and Zayas in seven professional fights and many short nights so far in their career.
Especially for Rodriguez, this is the first time he has distanced himself in a fight and this fight should give him a good amount of tape to work with, as he is working on improving some key elements in the ring. Rodriguez acknowledged just as much after the fight against fair play Luis Alberto Veron (18-3-2, 9 KOs), saying he needs to get back to the gym and work to let his hands go more .
These types of learning experiences can be beneficial in a year or two on the road, when the stakes become higher.
What did Saturday’s fight against Jovanie Santiago tell us about Adrien Broner’s current condition?
Baby: Saturday night was Adrien Broner’s short. He showed sparkles in the ring against Jovanie Santiago in a unanimous but controversial decision. Broner landed 100 shots less than Santiago and once again looked slow in the ring. And perhaps his most fun moments of the night came in the post-fight interview, when Broner’s lively character wasn’t clearly rusty, despite the lack of action.
In other words, it was Broner Peak. And right now, it’s not enough to challenge anyone elite to 140 pounds, where he wants to fight, and 147 pounds, where he actually fights.
Broner’s best moments came in the middle rounds, including one in the eighth round, when a Broner hook caused Santiago to make the breakups and came within inches of touching the canvas.
But Santiago gathered in the 12th round and fought close, at least. Even though there should have been a big gap between the two men, this was not obvious on Saturday. And yes, Broner came out of a long period of layoffs, but when he lost six pounds and the fight was changed to the welterweight limit at the end of the fight week, his devotion to being in fighting form is hard to believe.
With his win (with some very questionable scorecards, including an inexplicable 117-110 from Peter Hary), Broner probably secured at least one more day of considerable pay. At this point in his career, this is probably the best thing he can ask for.