Boxing

Oscar Valdez vs. Shakur Stevenson next Saturday, April 30 on ESPN


Via Jack Tiernan: Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson meet next Saturday, April 30 in the all-important featherweight super-union in a title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

ESPN and ESPN+ will show the Valdez vs. Stevenson begins at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Unbeatable 130-lb WBO champion Stevenson (17-0.9 KOs) and WBC champion Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) easily became the top two boxers of the tournament.

This match will show who is No. 1 in the ultralightweight division and will lead to the winner after the remaining two titles to become the undisputed champion.

While Stevenson has a great chance for big money fights in lightweight, he wants to stay at 130 long enough to become the undisputed champion.

Valdez says his experience will be key

“It’s a bit sad because we’ve fought before and I always wish him the best,” said Oscar Valdez of Top Rank Boxing when asked if he watched Miguel Berchelt’s last match against Jeremiah. Nakathilia or not.

“Seeing him like that that night was heartbreaking,” Valdez said. “It made me feel bad for some reason.

“The difficulty of this sport. It’s not like basketball or baseball. If you lose in baseball, you can always bounce back for the next season. These are the punches you’re getting with shots to the head. It is a dangerous sport.

“That’s because it’s still boxing, it’s still shooting in the face,” Valdez said when asked if the match against Berchelt was related to his upcoming bout against Stevenson this Saturday.

If Valdez can land his powerful left hook into Stevenson’s head, he has a real chance of winning this match.

Shakur had only faced a single puncher during his five-year professional career at Jeremia Nakathila last June, and he bore fans with his all-nighter style. how to pull-back to not get hit.

Chances are Stevenson will fight the same way he did against Valdez as he did against Nakathilia because he doesn’t like being hit hard, and he’ll do his best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Stevenson will upset a lot of boxing fans if he runs away from Valdez like he did with Nakathilia because he has to learn to stay in the pocket because people don’t want to pay to see the boxer use the style. pullback that he uses, especially when they pay to watch games on ESPN+.

“Shakur is a defensive fighter, but anything can happen inside the ring. My experience, I have more fights than him,” Valdez said when asked what his advantage is over Shakur.

“I have been through a lot of wars, a lot of wars. You find a way to get him there and force him there to start questioning himself. Does he really want it?

“I was fighting with an injured hand, broken ribs, and I was taken to the tarp,” Valdez said. “There was a time when I was exhausted and thought I was going to collapse because I was so exhausted in the ring.

“Losing is not an option. It was the only thing on my mind that I had to move on and move forward. It just shows that I definitely have a heart for this,” Valdez said.

Stevenson has the advantage of size

Mark Kriegel said: “In terms of style, strategy, Oscar Valdez understands that Stevenson and Berchelt cannot be compared. “He understands that he needs to apply the smartest kind of pressure.

“I tell you it’s hard to imagine Shakur Stevenson in that place because we’ve never done it before. One thing to keep in mind. Not only is Stevenson bigger than Valdez, I think he’s bigger than Berchelt.”

“You know what? I’m not going to erase Oscar Valdez,” said Tim Bradley. “I get that Stevenson has all the tools in the world to beat Oscar Valdez, but the last time I eliminated Oscar Valdez, what did he do? He delivered a sensational knockout [of Miguel Berchelt].

“Guess what? There is a chance and there will be a chance for him to hit Shakur Stevenson hard. Shakur Stevenson, if you go back and watch Nakathilia fight. He’s facing a guy with punching power, he backed up almost all night‘ Bradley said.

“That’s what Valdez will have to do. He will have to move forward, he will have to let go of those hands, and he will have to put fear in the young man. [Stevenson]use his experience and take him deep and try and sink him,” Bradley said.

Applying pressure will be difficult for Valdez because Stevenson has a long shot and a quick counter-attack with his superb hand speed. But as long as Valdez is willing to make some of Shakur’s weaker shots to get to his chin, he can enjoy success.

With the way Shakur keeps dropping back, it will be difficult for Valdez to land a shot big enough to hurt him. Stevenson will quickly jump back to prevent Valdez from hitting him with the power of his shots, and that will be an issue he will need to overcome.

Top Rated promoter Bob Arum has so far been patient with Shakur for his lack of style, but he has to worry about how his style resembles Guillermo Rigondeaux.

Arum wasn’t pleased with how Rigondeaux’s matches were less than crowd-pleasing, but at least he had the punching power and scoring by knockout. Shakur can’t punch, and when he stops his opponent, it happens with a buildup of blows.

Bernard Osuna said: “We have seen the evolution of Oscar Valdez’s style. “After those three fights with Genesis Servania, Miguel Marriaga, and his broken jaw against Scott Quigg, he went to Eddy Reynoso and said, ‘Make me the warrior I am today. Will that be enough for Shakur Stevenson? We will all see on April 30th,” Osuna said.

“Two fighters are perfect in what they do. Oscar Valdez, a puncher who resists pressure, and you’ve got Shakur Stevenson, who is practically insurmountable.”




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