Oscar Valdez Jr. and Miguel Berchelt will have a lot to live for when they enter the ring on Saturday at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, with Berchelt’s WBC junior lightweight title at stake (ESPN and ESPN +, 10 pm ET)
Berchelt (37-1, 33 KOs) is from Cancún, on the Yucatan Peninsula, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Valdez (28-0, 22 KOs) grew up in Arizona and now trains in San Diego, but was born 30 years ago in Nogales, in the state of Sonora, Mexico. He represented the country where he was born at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
This is Mexico x Mexico, another fight in a celebrated story.
“It’s a rivalry thing, like when [Marco Antonio] Barrera fought [Erik] Morales or when [Juan Manuel] Marquez fought in Barrera, “said Oscar Valdez Sr., father of the fighter and former amateur boxer.” When it is Mexico against Mexico, it will be a battle to see what the fight is about. “
National heritage is not the only reason why Valdez, a former WBO featherweight champion, wanted to meet Berchelt in the ring. He wants a title too, and despite having other options on that front – the IBF and WBO handles – Valdez wanted Berchelt, who is No. 1 in ESPN’s junior lightweight ranking.
“We want to fight with the best and we think he is the best,” said Valdez Sr. .. “Guys like JoJo Diaz and Jamel Herring, they are good fighters, but Berchelt is the best of them. We want to choose a fight with the best fighter. It’s a challenge.”
For his part, Berchelt believes he is ready to impose the same style that took him to the top of the junior lightweight category.
“I’m going to make my plan, attack and punch, use my jab,” Berchelt told ESPN. “If he wants to get in, he’ll find out about my power.”
Size and power are two of the biggest issues for Valdez to enter this fight. Valdez is competing in a weight class 4 pounds heavier than featherweight, where he recently ruled in 2019. This will be his third junior lightweight fight, and his father sees it as the gradual disarmament of an sometimes difficult opponent for a fighter.
“Every fight, it’s a fight against the scale,” said Valdez Sr. .. “The biggest problem that a fighter usually has is gaining weight, so moving up a category helps that. It means that you can spend more of your training energy preparing for the fight instead of preparing for the scales. We will see how Oscar’s body continues to react to the weight class. But he is ready. “
Notable title fights between Mexican fighters
Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez 1 in 2007, for the junior WBC featherweight title
Vazquez and Marquez met four times. The first chapter was the bloodiest of all. Vazquez was making his third defense of the belt, but retired after round 7 due to breathing problems and a broken nose.
Erik Morales against Marco Antonio Barrera 1 in 2000, for the junior featherweight titles WBC, WBO
The first fight in a historic trilogy was a unification fight in the 122-pound division that Morales won by split decision. Morales was knocked down in the 12th round, but prevailed on the scoreboard (114-113, 115-112, 113-114). The fight was awarded as the fight of the year by The Ring Magazine.
Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Mario Martinez in 1984, for the vacant WBC lightweight junior title
Chávez won his first world title fight when referee John Thomas interrupted the fight shortly after the end of the eighth round, with Martinez bleeding from his nose and a cut in his right eye. Chávez has successfully defended the title nine times, mostly by a Mexican of the category. Chavez also holds the all-time record, with 31 title wins.
Carlos Zarate vs. Lupe Pintor in 1979, for the WBA bantamweight title
In a controversial decision divided into 15 rounds, Pintor became world champion for the first time. Painter was knocked down in the fourth round and, from the 10th, Zarate started bleeding from his nose and suffered a cut in his right eye. The Ring Magazine, AP and Boxing Illustrated had Zarate winning on their unofficial scorecards.
Chucho Castillo against Ruben Olivares 1 in 1970, for the WBA and WBC cock titles
Olivares was making his second defense of his titles when Castillo took him down in the third round and won by unanimous decision in 15 rounds. Six months later, Castillo won the rematch by TKO in the 14th round.
In your own words
Berchelt: I’ve been following Oscar since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, because it was an opportunity I wanted. I respect him. We know the quality of the opponent that lies ahead, but I’m here to win the victory and [retain] my title. Styles make fights, and I believe my style and Oscar’s style will make a great fight, so let’s see what happens.
Valdez: Nothing personal, but I want that belt. It’s a dream I have had since I was 8, 9 years old. My idols held: Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera. They all held on to that belt, and that’s something I’ve wanted to hold on to since I was a kid. This is my opportunity. This is my opportunity. I’m not going to go in there and not give it my all. I will do whatever it takes. If I have to fight, I will fight. If I have to hit and fight, then I’m willing to do that, too.
Mexican boxing legends share their predictions
By Salvador Rodriguez
Marco Antonio Barrera: I see a very interesting fight. Berchelt has the advantage because he is a big 130 and Valdez is climbing 126 pounds – it is complicated. Power is on Berchelt’s side, but Valdez has the technique, the Olympic style, the best corner, mobility, body punches and moves well from side to side to avoid the bombing of the ‘Alacran’ Berchelt. Valdez may take the victory by decision and perhaps Berchelt by knockout, but it will be a war between Mexicans that I am already enjoying.
Erik “El Terrible” Morales: I think Berchelt is at an advantage. I go with Berchelt in some places.
Juan Manuel Marquez: It is difficult for me to choose. It will be a good fight, I think it may even be a draw.
Fernando “Kochulito” Montiel: It’s a 60-40 fight for Berchelt or even 55-45. If Valdez boxed early in the first rounds, he could win by knockout. Valdez is a better boxer, with more boxing repertoire. But Berchelt is a more talented fighter. He has been fighting hard fights, he gets better with each round and when he attacks he doesn’t stop. And if you add that Valdez suffered a jaw fracture (against Scott Quigg), the further the fight goes, the more dangerous Berchelt becomes.
Carlos Zarate: The fight is fair, but I choose Berchelt.
Jorge “Travieso” Arce: Berchelt is large and will rehydrate well after weighing. I see Valdez very focused, but he has a weak chin. I don’t think it can last the distance.
Read more expert choices here
By the numbers
23/24: Of his last 24 wins, Berchelt has finished 23 of his fights.
38.9%: Percentage of punches hit by Berchelt in his last eight fights, the highest among all fighters tracked by CompuBox. He landed 31.5 punches per round, 24.6 force punches per round and 47.4% of the force punches thrown in his last eight fights, every second more among all tracked fighters.
two: Participation in the Olympic Games in Valdez, in 2008 and 2012. Valdez represented Mexico.
8/8: Valdez won all eight fights held in Las Vegas, including the world featherweight title over Matias Carlos Adrian Rueda in 2016.
4: Number of divisions in which Adrien Broner won world titles – junior lightweight (130 pounds), lightweight, junior welterweight and average weight (147 pounds). Broner returns to action for the first time since his 2019 loss to Manny Pacquiao on Saturday against Jovanie Santiago.
Betting odds
The complete card
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Fight for the title: Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez, 12 rounds, for Berchelt WBC junior lightweight title
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Gabriel Flores Jr. vs. Jayson Velez, 10 rounds, junior lightweights
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Esquiva Falcao vs Artur Akavov, 10 rounds, average weights
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Elvis Rodriguez vs. Luis Alberto Veron, 6 or 8 rounds, junior welterweight
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Xander Zayas vs. James Martin, 6 rounds, welterweight
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Sonny Conto x Waldo Cortes, 4 rounds, heavyweights
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Javier Martinez vs. Billy Wagner, 4 rounds, middleweights
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Omar Rosario vs. Uriel Villanueva, 4 rounds, welterweight
“The problem” returns
Ben Baby
Adrien Broner heads a card on Saturday night (Showtime, 9 pm ET) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, hoping to secure his first victory since 2017. Jovanie Santiago is just one of the challenges that Broner faces in the ring, with a significant financial out of it.
Broner owes $ 855,682.03, which is how much he must pay to resolve a lawsuit, from a deposition filed on January 29. This follows a criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to assault for illegal contravention and restraint after he violently kissed a woman at a club in 2018. In a court case filed on January 29, Wells Fargo said Broner had no funds available, with a large stamp on all blank lines.
Broner, who once said his initials meant About Billions, insists, however, that financial considerations are not the driving force behind his return from the ring.
“Even if I didn’t have those lawsuits pending against me, I would still be training hard and ready to go back and make a fortune,” Broner told ESPN on February 9. “God gave me a blessing and God gave me great talent and I will not waste it.” Read more about Broner’s return
Betting odds
The complete card
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Adrien Broner vs Jovanie Santiago, 10 rounds, welterweight
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Otto Wallin vs. Dominic Breazeale, 12 rounds, heavyweights
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Zachary Ochoa vs Juan Jose Velasco, 10 rounds, junior welterweight
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Robert Easter Jr. vs. Ryan Martin, 12 rounds, junior welterweight
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Rau’shee Warren vs. Sharone Carter, 10 rounds, bantamweight
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Romuel Cruz vs. TBA, 4 rounds, junior feathers