And the Oscar goes to…. Valdez KOs Wilson to win super featherweight slugfest
Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) wanted to show that he could become a champion again and, on Friday night, he did it.
The former two-division world champion stopped Australian puncher Liam Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs) in the seventh round to capture the WBO Interim super featherweight world title on March 29 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
After trying to find his distance in the opening round, 33-year-old Valdez began controlling the action by launching a quick jab, blocking and slipping any counters and looking for left hooks.
Wilson had more success by keeping his distance, but Valdez was able to lure him into punching range. In the sixth round, both stood toe-to-toe, where Valdez connected with left hooks to the body and right hooks to the side of Wilson’s head.
By the following round, the Mexican had worn Wilson out, who stopped responding to Valdez’ onslaught and forced referee Mark Nelson to halt the action at 2:48. Prior to the fight, the man from Sonora had promised a war and he certainly delivered.
Valdez said, “This victory means a lot. I proved a lot of people wrong again. People said ‘You’re thirty-something. You’re done. You got your jaw broken. You got your rib broken.’ But I refused to believe that.
“I told him to not give up. I lost as well. It doesn’t mean you’re done in the sport. I’m a good example. He almost got me. He almost got ‘Vaquero.’ He almost became a world champion. I have nothing but respect for Liam Wilson and his team.”
Wilson said, “That’s how boxing goes. I tried to box in the first few rounds, but my heart got the better of me. These are the kind of fights I dreamed of since I was a kid. But, I’ve got to learn from this and start using my boxing brain.
“Oscar is a true champion, and I’m very proud to have shared the ring with him. It’s still early in my career. I have plenty to go. I’m young. I’ll be back.”
Seniesa Estrada vs Yokasta Valle
The super fight lived up to the pre-fight trash talk, and after 10 rounds of sustained action, an undisputed minimumweight world champion was crowned.
Seniesa “Super Bad” Estrada (26-0, 9 KOs) defeated longtime rival Yokasta Valle (30-3, 9 KOs) via unanimous decision to unify all the belts in the 105-pound division, a first in boxing history.
All judges scored the fight 97-93.
Both took the centre of the ring in the opening round, but Estrada’s unorthodox style perplexed an aggressive Valle. A clash of heads in the first round caused a cut above Valle’s right eye, and Estrada had success by switching stances and punching from the outside.
An undeterred Valle stepped up the pace in round four, landing a right hook that appeared to stun Estrada. Valle continued landing in the fifth, and it was evident that she was stronger on the inside.
Estrada made adjustments and began fighting again from the outside, landing with precision and even taunting Valle at times. The Costa Rican rallied late in the final round, but it was not enough.
Estrada said, “I feel better. I’m happy. It’s something I’ve been wanting for a long time, becoming undisputed. It finally happened, and I accomplished my dreams. I’m beyond overwhelmed and happy.
“I knew she would come in and be aggressive like she always is. That’s her style, and I knew I would take everything away from her that she does best.
“I’m very competitive, and I want to be the best. In this training camp, there were days where it was difficult for me to go to the gym. My body was hurting. My back was hurting. My hand was hurting. But I pushed through because that’s what champions do and because I want to be great.”
Valle said, “I did feel was intentional. I felt that she did that coming towards me in the first round, and I had to struggle through that for the last nine rounds.”
Undercard
Junior Welterweight: Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (20-0, 16 KOs) cruised to a 10-round unanimous points victory against late-notice replacement Xolisani Ndongeni (31-5, 18 KOs). Muratalla boxed with tranquil confidence, pawing with jabs before unleashing one-twos and sneaky hooks to the body. Ndongeni proved to be very durable, but Muratalla’s defense prevented him from making any significant impact. Scores: 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93.
Junior Welterweight: Mexican Olympian Lindolfo Delgado (20-0, 15 KOs) may be a slow starter, but he always gets the job done. The 29-year-old contender knocked out countryman Carlos Sanchez (25-3, 19 KOs) in the seventh round. Sanchez connected on Delgado early because Delgado’s defensive parries made him open to counters. Nevertheless, Delgado dropped Sanchez with a counter right hand in the fifth and ended matters in the seventh with a right hook. Time of stoppage: 48.
Heavyweight: U.S. Olympic silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) retained his 100 percent knockout ratio with a first-round TKO against Don Haynesworth (18-9-1, 16 KOs). After boxing for the first half of the round, Torrez found an opening and began unleashing a two-fisted barrage, forcing referee Raul Caiz Jr. to halt the action at 2:19.
Middleweight: Phoenix’s hometown hero Sergio Rodriguez (11-0-1, 8 KOs) decisioned Sanny Duversonne (12-7-2, 9 KOs) across six-rounds of action. Rodriguez pressed forward and landed, but Duversonne responded immediately each time, which prevented Rodriguez from continuing his momentum. Scores: 60-54 and 59-55 2x.
Lightweight: Emiliano Fernando Vargas (9-0, 7 KOs) had his toughest fight to date as he tallied a hard-earned unanimous decision against Nelson Hampton (10-9, 6 KOs). Vargas had the offensive advantage with speed and power, but Hampton answered back with many counters as Vargas admired his work. Scores: 60-54 3x.
Lightweight: Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia (12-0, 10 KOs), the unbeaten standout who signed with Top Rank earlier this month, stopped Gonzalo Fuenzalida (12-4, 3 KOs) via TKO in the second round. Time of stoppage: 1:58.
Junior Welterweight: Art Barrera Jr. (4-0, 4 KOs), the Robert Garcia-trained powerhouse from Linwood, California, blasted out Kevin Soto (5-2, 3 KOs) with a left hook in the second round. Time of stoppage: 2:17.
Junior Welterweight: Ricardo Ruvalcaba (12-0-1, 10 KOs) handed Avner Hernandez Molina (4-4) his first stoppage defeat with a fifth-round TKO. Time of stoppage: 1:44.