Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs), a former featherweight holder who was once Valdez’s mandatory challenger at 126 pounds, believes Valdez only lifted light weights to avoid him. And even when Valdez upset longtime WBC champion Miguel Berchelt in the knockout year of 2021, Stevenson feels that Valdez tried to do everything he could to avoid having to cross paths with him.
The 24-year-old southpaw, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics, went so far as to say that he felt the Top Rank, which promotes both fighters, was initially interested in matching Valdez with WBO featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete, who is thinking of gaining weight.
“I speak the truth every time,” Stevenson told a news conference last Thursday. “I feel like he did not want to fight me at 126. Now, we’re here at 130. He was trying to fight Navarrete before he fought me. But we’re here now. We can not keep talking about it.
“The fight is Saturday, and I’m ready to fight.” Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of martial arts from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news, including a full preview of Stevenson vs. Valdez below. For the record, Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) has even denied reports that he hoped to overtake Stevenson, who has been compared to a young Floyd Mayweather after ruining the road race for two world titles in as many categories. .
Valdez, originally from Nogales, Mexico, was the protagonist of a Top Rank card that doubled until Stevenson’s debut in 2017 and said he was preparing for a possible encounter with the professional since first watching Stevenson at the Amateurs.
“Just like in this fight, I was very focused on the fight ahead of me,” Valdez said on the night he defended his WBO featherweight title four years ago against Miguel Marriaga. “I knew about Shakur Stevenson. I saw him at the Olympics. He was a great fighter then and he has become a great champion now.”
Like Stevenson, the 31-year-old Valdez also had a decorated amateur career and represented Mexico at the 2012 Olympics. and low.
Valdez started in 2021 exceeding all expectations with Berchelt’s upset knockout, which was seen as a great triumph for the influence of the eternal coach of the year Eddy Reynoso, who helped Valdez sharpen his technique to combine his toughness and aggression. . But just as Valdez seemed to be approaching a potential pound-by-pound talent, controversy soon ensued.
Before returning in September against undefeated Robson Conceicao, Valdez tested positive for a banned substance but had controversial permission to continue playing. Negative headlines seemed to get in the way of Valdez’s focus as he struggled to get a close win.
Although Valdez continues to believe that the positive test was caused by the consumption of herbal tea, Stevenson did not forget it and went so far as to remind Valdez to “make sure you do not cheat” at all public events with the two champions during the during the race week.
“He’s the type of fighter who talks a lot and always runs with his mouth,” Valdez said. “I’m not like that. I let my fists speak. He’re the type of fighter who is not willing to go to war. I’m the type of fighter who always wants to give fans what they want. He’re not willing to give that to fans. they want, this will be more of a chess match, it will be more of a technical match.
“The smartest fighter in the ring will win.”
Both fighters welcomed the elite talent with them to help prepare, as Valdez worked at the same camp as Canelo Alvarez before returning in May and Stevenson welcomed “big brother” Terence Crawford to the camp for quality sparring. .
Although it is clear that Valdez believes in his chances, the players disagree. Stevenson, who recorded the most thorough performance of his career stopping WBO champion Jamel Herring last October, has established himself as a huge betting favorite up to 8-1.
“The odds are against me and everyone thinks he will walk on me,” Valdez said. “But as with Berhelt, I will use it as motivation. I know I have a tough fight ahead of me, but this is not something I have never done before. As we say in Mexico, I am willing to die on the line just to win. it’s all that matters to me. ”
As expected, the audacious Stevenson does not lack the confidence to enter his toughest test to date.
“People have not yet seen everything Shakur Stevenson can do in a boxing ring,” Stevenson said. “I am the next boxing superstar and my performance [on Saturday] he will prove it “. Before we get to Stevenson vs. Valdez, a pair of prospects have a chance to shine again on the undercard. Former silver medalist Keyshawn Davis faces Esteban Sanchez in a lightweight bout. Davis, 23, won his medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games and has gone 4-0 with three knockouts since becoming a professional in February 2021. In addition, Nico Ali Walsh, grandson of Mohamed Ali, is doing his fifth trip to the ring when he takes on Alejandro Imbara in the middleweight division. Ali Walsh, 21, became a professional in August 2021 and also has three knockouts in four professional fights. Below is the full match card for Saturday night on ESPN along with the latest odds from Caesars Sportsbook before you get to a prediction and selection of experts for the main event.

Match card, odds

Shakur Stevenson (c) -800 vs. Oscar Valdez (c) +550, junior lightweight unification Keyshawn Davis -1300 vs. Esteban Sanchez +800, lightweight Nico Ali Walsh -1500 vs. Alejandro Ibarra +850, Medium Weight

View information

Date: 30 April Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena – Las Vegas Start time: 10 p.m. ET TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Prophecy

Valdez is talented and versatile enough to make this, at least on paper, a potentially interesting match style. But make no mistake, if Valdez is not able to slow down and discipline the extremely fast Stevenson, this also has the potential to be a surgical dissection.
Comparisons with a young Mayweather, especially the “Pretty Boy” version from the beginning of the century, seem to be appropriate for Stevenson. It is far from great, but the speed and accuracy of its combinations have proven to be deadly.
If Valdez finds it difficult to cope with this speed and can not time Stevenson, as Marquez has learned to strike with Pacquiao throughout their quadruple rivalry, the chance of cuts and damage is likely. Lucky for Valdez, he has shown tremendous resistance to punches in the past, fighting through a broken jaw to beat Scott Quigg in the 2018 thriller.
The biggest problem for Valdez, however, is that he may have already shown how great he could be by raising his game against Berchelt. And even this version will probably not be enough to beat Stevenson if the New Jersey native of New Jersey continues to raise his performance to the level he has every time the quality of his competition increases.
It’s easy to compare to a 23-year-old Mayweather facing undefeated (and huge puncher) Diego Corrales in his own 130-pound title match in 2001. Five knockdowns later after Corrales’s corner threw a towel to finish a Late Round disassembly in Round 10 , Mayweather had established itself as a top P4P threat. Expect Stevenson to do the same.
Selection: Stevenson via TKO11 Who beats Stevenson against Valdez? And what support is needed? Visit SportsLine now to see Brandon Wise’s best bets for Saturday, all from the CBS martial arts expert who smashed his boxing selections in 2021 and find out.