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Oscar Valdez: "A War is Coming"
Mexico’s two-division world champion, Oscar Valdez, is more
motivated than ever for what could mark the beginning of a
historic rivalry.
Valdez will challenge three-division world champion and
countryman Emanuel Navarrete for his WBO junior lightweight
world title on Saturday, August 12, at Desert Diamond Arena
in Glendale, Arizona.
Navarrete-Valdez, Raymond Muratalla-Diego Torres and Richard
Torrez Jr.-Willie Jake Jr. will be broadcast live on ESPN,
ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs), from Nogales, represented Mexico at
the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The 32-year-old captured his
first world title in July 2016 with a second-round stoppage
win over Matias Rueda. In February 2021, he became a
two-division world champion with a 10th-round knockout
against Miguel Berchelt. Valdez suffered his first loss to
Shakur Stevenson in April 2022 and is coming off a unanimous
decision victory against Adam Lopez in May.
Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) captured the WBO junior
featherweight world title by defeating Isaac Dogboe in
December 2018. After five defenses, he moved up to
featherweight and defeated Ruben Villa for the vacant WBO
title in October 2020. In February, the 28-year-old native
of San Juan Zitlaltepec became a three-division world
champion when he stopped Liam Wilson in nine rounds.
After a recent training session in Lake Tahoe, this is what
Valdez said:
“I’m excited. It’s getting close. It’s one of the most
important fights of my career because it means everything
for me to come back and win that title. I feel blessed to
have this opportunity, and I’m taking advantage of it every
single day so that I can accomplish my dream.”
“We all know that Navarrete has an awkward style. We might
not have the perfect sparring that can emulate his style.
But we try to imitate him in the mittwork and strategy. He’s
not your typical fighter that throws straight shots.”
“I like training here in Lake Tahoe. It’s isolated from
everybody. We’re up in the mountains. We’re training in
great weather and at a great altitude. I love it here. It’s
nice and relaxing. There’s no anxiety here. There’s clear
air. It’s perfect for being focused on camp.”
“I always tell people that I grew up during the era of Erik
Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera. Those two fighters
inspired me to be the fighter that I am today. So, to leave
something similar in history would mean the world to me.”
“I’m more motivated for this fight than any other fight I’ve
been in. People are excited about this fight. Everywhere I
go, I get the same question: ‘When are you going to fight
Vaquero?’ And that’s because we all know that a war is
coming.”
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