Oscar Valdez enjoyed the fall of proving that many skeptics were wrong on Saturday night, as his KO victory over Miguel Berchelt was as thorough and impressive a performance as the new WBC lightweight world title would have been. could gather.
After 10 rounds, most of which were spent dictating the fight in the direction he wanted to take, Valdez surprised the world of boxing even more by landing a devastating punch in Berchelt’s face, which knocked Berchelt down. cold and finished the fight with just a second. left in the round.
Brett Okamoto and Michael Rothstein break down the biggest moments of the night in Las Vegas and project what will come next for the two wrestlers, as well as the Top Rank Boxing schedule in the future. Ben Baby reacts to the return of Adrien Broner to the ring for the first time in almost two years as well.
After the biggest win of his career, what will happen to 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, who finished with a one-time knockout vice in the 10th round, a left hook in the middle of Berchelt’s face. .
How the fight ended summed up how Valdez fought all night. Berchelt pulled away with a fist, stood up, and connected to send Berchelt to the canvas.
It was a steady combination of speed and effective landing of Valdez hooks throughout the night. The strategy surprised Berchelt in the first two rounds, it earned Valdez for a tie in the fourth round, a second for the ninth and finally for the tie in the 10th.
Then, the only thing that would have prevented Valdez from winning the title was a miracle from Berchelt (37-2-0, 33 KOs), who didn’t seem to have left much a round or two before that moment.
This victory reinforces Valdez’s professional resume (29-0, 23 KOs), who now become the starter in their second division after six defenses in the WBO featherweight world title. Now that he’s back in the starting lineup, the WBC’s new lightweight world title has options.
His next potential opponent could have been sitting next to the ring. The fight for money for Valdez could be against Shakur Stevenson, the undefeated rising star who is also part of the Top Rank fighter stable. He’s also the No. 2 fighter in the WBC division, so he might also make sense from that point of view.
Congratulations champion @ oscarvaldez56 Regarding what you did tonight and I was amazed .. Now there is only 1 FIGHT left to do!
– Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) February 21, 2021
Stevenson-Valdez would be an interesting contrast of styles and a fight that could put fans in the seats by the middle of the year. Valdez was also open about it after the fight, even suggesting it in his post-fight interview.
It is the struggle that needs to be fought and it seems to make more sense in the immediate future. The other option, if Valdez decides he wants to try to unify the division, will be to see Jamel Herring-Carl Frampton fight later this spring and wait for the winner.
But even with that fight, Stevenson seems like the smartest way to go.
How did he lose Berchelt and what will happen to him?
Okamoto: Berchelt did not lose his title as much as Valdez took him away. Let’s make it clear right away. Valdez looked masterful from the start and Berchelt was stunned and faded by the fourth round, when Valdez put him on skates with his left and got his first turn. Valdez may have finished it right there if the bell hadn’t come. Berchelt showed a lot of heart in the following rounds and tried to turn the tide upside down with nothing more than pressure and power.
It was clear, however, that he had no answer, at least not Saturday, for Valdez’s changes in speed and position. Berchelt seemed lost very soon. He never seemed comfortable on his counterattack, and more or less abandoned it after the fourth round, when he committed to a high-pressure approach. At 29, he’s still one of the best junior lightweights in the world, but unfortunately he’ll have to prove he’s still like that for the next year after a result like this. He will have to prove that the devastating nature of this loss does not change his ability to punch or his willingness to do so.
If and when he faces another fast-paced, technical boxer like Valdez – or Vasiliy Lomachenko, whom he could have called if he had gone differently on Saturday – he will have to prove he learned from this disaster. He will probably need a comeback fight of some sort, a rival that is not ranked in the top five of the division. If all goes well, the title fight won’t be far behind.
He may also reflect on weight gain, which would also have been an issue after the fight if he had won, but there is no reason to think that £ 130 may not yet 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 next to the fight tonight in Las Vegas. I thought this would be a night when fans would miss each other; he only thought it would be due to a back-and-forth war, and not to a unilateral masterclass by Valdez. But regardless, the reality is the same. Boxing was sorely missed by his fans tonight.
There was a moment before departure, when the MGM ballroom darkened and the house music disappeared. It was one of those moments that lets everyone in the building know: the main event fighters are about to walk away. I’ve experienced this feeling on a stage full of hundreds of times, and I can’t even express in words how strange it felt on Saturday. It was so quiet that one could hear individual conversations in the room.
When the fighters walked in and were announced, I honestly think Top Rank does a good job of making energy as much as you can, but you can barely relate to a real crowd. And, of course, the fight itself, when Valdez dropped Berchelt to fourth place and Berchelt was trying to open up victory in the following rounds when he was still injured, a crowd would have added a lot. Fortunately, we are close to that.
Top Rank believes Saturday was their last night in the bubble. The promotion plans to move to Florida and / or Oklahoma for its upcoming events in April and then return to Las Vegas in May, at a time when, hopefully, fans will be able to attend again.
Gabriel Flores Jr finds a big KO as growing prospects get rounds on Berchelt-Valdez’s card
Rothstein: Gabriel Flores Jr. it seemed less than acute. Jayson Velez was punching and preparing some combinations. But then, in the sixth round, Flores, 20, demonstrated why he is considered a growing prospect in the junior lightweight division.
A right to the head of Velez made him fall once. A series of punches ended the fight moments later, securing a major victory for the native population of Stockton, California. It was a big showcase for the co-main event, which caught fans tuning in a little earlier to fight for that title.
That Flores was able to organize a qualifier (his first since the knockout round of the third round of Eduardo Pereira Dos Reis on May 4, 2019) was an added advantage, as it was only his second qualifier in his last 14 fights. It showed a bit of Flores ’combination of speed and power. After the fight, Flores said he “sent a statement that I am ready to get a world title.”
This feels a bit early for him, given the strength of the split. Beyond Berchelt and Valdez, there are also in the division Shakur Stevenson, Leo Santa Cruz, Joseph Diaz Jr., Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov, Jamel Herring and more.
But it was an impressive demonstration that should give a real chance to a high-level rival. If Flores wins that fight, maybe there will be a title in the near future, especially because the IBF belt is currently vacant.
The other two prospects on the bottom card: junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) and welterweight Xander Zayas (7-0, 5 KOs), got rounds, which is key for both developments with Rodriguez in the 12 professional fights and Zayas in the seven professional fights and many short nights so far in his career.
Especially for Rodriguez, it’s the first time he’s distanced himself in a fight and that fight should give him a good amount of tape to work on while working to improve some key elements of the ring. Rodriguez admitted so much after fighting a pretty game Luis Alberto Veron (18-3-2, 9 KOs), saying he has to go back to the gym and work to let go of his hands more.
These types of learning experiences can be beneficial for one or two years, when the stakes increase.
What did Saturday’s fight against Jovanie Santiago tell us about Adrien Broner’s current state?
Baby: Saturday night was Adrien Broner in a nutshell. He showed flashes in the ring against Jovanie Santiago in a unanimous but controversial decision. Broner landed 100 punches less than Santiago and looked slow again in the ring. And perhaps his most entertaining moments of the night came in the post-fight interview, when Broner’s boisterous personality wasn’t clearly rusty despite the lack of action.
In other words, it was Broner Peak. And at this point, that’s not enough to challenge anyone elite at 140 pounds, where he wants to fight, and 147 pounds, where he really fights.
Broner’s best moments came in the middle round, including one in the eighth round, when a Broner hook caused Santiago to make the divisions and came within inches of touching the canvas.
But Santiago met in round 12 and ended the fight at least. While there should have been a big gulf between the two men, this was not evident on Saturday. And yes, Broner is coming off a long layoff, but when he lost a six-pound weight and the battle shifted to the welterweight limit toward the end of wrestling week, his dedication to being in wrestling form is hard to believe.
With his win (with some very questionable scorecards, including an inexplicable 117-110 from Peter Hary), Broner probably got at least another day of considerable pay. At this point in your career, it’s probably the best you can ask for.