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130-Pound History: Oscar Valdez vs.
Shakur Stevenson Fight Week Is Here
Two world title belts and a combined record of 47-0. The
battle for junior lightweight supremacy, is almost here. WBC
champion Oscar Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) will battle WBO king
Shakur Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) this Saturday, April 30, at
the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The bitter rivals will compete to become the division’s
first unified champion since 2005, and the winner will
become the first Ring Magazine junior lightweight champion
since Manny Pacquiao in 2008. Valdez, from Nogales, Mexico,
is a two-division world champion who defended his WBO
featherweight crown on the same night Stevenson turned pro
in April 2017. Stevenson, also a two-division king, is
coming off a title-winning knockout victory over Jamel
“Semper Fi” Herring.
Valdez-Stevenson, an eight-round lightweight co-feature
between U.S. Olympic silver medalist Keyshawn Davis and
Esteban Sanchez, and the four-round Nico Ali Walsh-Alejandro
Ibarra middleweight special attraction will be broadcast
live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m.
PT.
Four days from fight night, this is what Valdez and
Stevenson had to say.
Oscar Valdez
“Even though I had a very tough challenge against Miguel
Berchelt, this is the toughest and biggest fight of my
career because Shakur has been talking for quite some time.
Here we go again. The odds are against me, and everyone
thinks that he will walk all over me, but just like against
Berchelt, I will use that as motivation. I know I have a
tough fight in front of me, but this is not something that I
haven’t done before. I have worked very hard in the gym, and
as always, I’m going to give it my best and leave it all in
the ring. Like we say in Mexico, I'm willing to die on the
line just to win. That’s all that matters to me.”
“He is the type of fighter that talks a lot and is always
running his mouth on social media, but I’m not like that. I
let my fists do the talking. He is the type of fighter that
is not willing to go to war. I’m the type of fighter that
always wants to give the fans what they want. Since he is
not willing to give the fans what they want, this will be
more of a chess match. It will be a more technical fight.
The smartest fighter inside the ring will win. For this kind
of challenge, I prepared myself very well physically, but
more importantly mentally.”
“Ever since I was a kid, I have dreamed of being the main
event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It just
sounds beautiful. Sounds like you made it. This is the major
leagues. I’m very excited. I’m enjoying every moment. I’m
enjoying this journey of greatness. When I win this fight, I
will be one step closer to being on the pound-for-pound
list, and more importantly, I will be a step closer to
accomplishing my dream of being considered one of the best
fighters in Mexican boxing history. I want my name to be
among all these great Mexican fighters, like Morales,
Barrera, Marquez, and Chavez. For that to happen, I need to
win this fight.”
Shakur Stevenson
"We are back in Las Vegas for training camp, and everything
is going great. My grandfather and my team have me looking
and feeling super sharp, and everyone is going to see the
results of all this hard work on April 30."
Getting the fight against Valdez
"This fight is three years in the making. Everyone knows
that I’ve wanted to fight Oscar Valdez since 2019 when he
vacated his belt at 126 instead of fighting me. He avoided
me for as long as he could, but now is the perfect time for
this fight and the fans are in for a show when we finally
step into the ring."
Unifying Titles
"I am the best 130-pound fighter in the world, and I will
prove it when I beat Oscar Valdez and become unified
champion. I won’t stop there, though. I want to become an
undisputed champion at 130, and beating Oscar Valdez is the
next step."
A superstar will be born on April 30
"The world hasn’t seen everything that Shakur Stevenson can
do in a boxing ring yet. I am boxing’s next superstar, and
my performance on April 30 is going to prove it. Come out to
the MGM Grand or tune in on ESPN because you don’t want to
miss this fight."
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