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Valdez Victory Over Velez
Leaves More Questions Than Answers
By William Trillo
By Mikey Williams - Top Rank
In the prelude to his huge match-up with fellow
countryman and WBC Champ Miguel Berchelt, Super
Featherweight Oscar Valdez (28-0, 22 KO’s) needed to put
on an impressive showing against the seasoned Jayson
Velez (29-7-1, 21 KO’s). On paper it looked good, the
end result was Valdez getting a late KO victory over a
fighter who had never been stopped before. That being
said this was far from a highlight reel for Valdez. If
he looks like this when he steps into the ring with
Berchelt it’s going to make for a very long, or worse, a
very short evening.
Make no mistake though, Velez is no slouch. He has been
in with some great fighters and handles himself in the
ring very well. This was no pushover for Valdez. The
Puerto Rican is a game fighter but he is past his prime.
It shouldn't have been this difficult for a fighter with
the pedigree of Valdez.
Valdez dropped Velez in round four with a very clean
hook. He also closed the show with two knockdowns in
round ten. As I said, good on paper. But along the way
Valdez looked tentative, got hit way too frequently, as
his face will attest to. He clearly is not the fighter
we watched early in his career. If this is "The New
Normal" for Valdez he may want to consider going back to
what (or who) was working before.
To put things into perspective after round nine the
respected Judge Dave Moretti had the fight scored by a
razor thing 85-84 for Valdez. Keep in mind Velez had
already been dropped once and was deducted another point
for a low blow.
Officially the fight was stopped at the 2:23 mark of
round ten.
On his performance Valdez stated, “Miguel Berchelt is
the fight I want. He has the WBC title at 130 pounds. I
want the WBC title. Miguel and I would make for a great
fight. I never stop learning. I will go back to the gym
and continue to improve. I’m in a great rhythm with my
trainer, Eddy Reynoso. Velez was everything I expected,
a tough warrior who fought his heart out. I commend him
for a great performance and a great fight.”
What can you say about a fighter who has 14 victories in
14 fights with 14 first round KO’s? Call him a rising
star. Super Middleweight Edgar Berlanga (14-0, 14 KO’s)
made Eric Moon (11-3, 6 KO’s) understand why no one
lasts three minutes with him.
Moon thought if he came in and went toe to toe he would
earn some respect. Wrong.
As soon as Moon tasted Berlanga leather he backed off to
the ropes. Moments later Berlanga clubbed him with a
couple of thudding right hands. Moon crumbled and the
fight was over. The fight was stopped at the 1:02 mark.
Not much to say but…WOW!
After the fight the big hitter commented, “It was
another step-up fight for me. We prepared to go rounds,
but I got him hurt and got him out of there. I still
have so much room to grow as a fighter. The power is
there, but I will show everyone that I am a well-rounded
fighter. The knockout streak is cool, but there is more
to me than first-round knockouts. I am proud to
represent my Puerto Rican heritage every time I fight. I
carry that with me with pride every time I enter the
ring.”
For seven and three quarters rounds Featherweight Isaac
Dogboe (21-2, 15 KO’s) put a serious beating on Chris
Avalos (27-8, 20 KO’s). For Dogboe this was a chance to
get back into the mix and show he still belongs with the
cream of the crop. For Avalos this was a tough gritty
showing, but he was in trouble throughout the bout.
Dogboe, under new trainer Barry Hunter looked like a man
on a mission as he performed very well. As round eight
was coming to an end Dogboe unleashed a right hand to
the top of Avalos head and the ref had seen enough. The
bout was brought to a halt at the 2:25 mark of that
eighth and final round.
On his victory Dogboe said, “I was off for 14 months.
This was a long time coming. I felt great with my new
trainer, Barry Hunter. We’re only getting warmed up.
Avalos took a great shot. I broke him down, and to get a
knockout in my first fight back, I am tremendously
content. I wanted to show everyone that Isaac Dogboe
never went away. I’m still here, and I am only getting
better.”
The Montrealer Flyweight Kim Clavel (12-0, 2 KO’s) took
on Natalie Gonzalez (6-1, 1 KO) in a battle of
undefeated females. Clavel used superior skill and hand
speed to keep Gonzalez at bay for most of the fight.
Gonzalez did mark up the face of her opponent over the
course of the eight-round battle but she just wasn’t on
the same level as the Québec native Clavel. Final scores
all in favor of Clavel read 80-72 across the board.
After the fight Clavel noted, “I knew it would be a hard
fight because she’s a good fighter. She had a good
amateur background. This was my first time here. I had
some pressure, but with every round, I felt better and
better in the ring with my coach. We won all the rounds.
This is what we wanted. I felt good in the ring. Of
course, it was unique, but I didn’t feel different. The
preparation for this fight went well. I felt the
pressure on me because it was a big stage. It was my
first time here in Las Vegas. What a great experience. I
would love to stay active and fight again before the end
of 2020. I want to be the best in the light flyweight
division.”
Super Lightweight Elvis Rodriguez (8-0-1, 8 KO’s) kept
his 100% KO ratio alive as he obliterated Dennis Okoth
(4-3-1, 2 KO’s) in the second round with a wicked
one-two combo. The southpaw Rodriguez uncorked a right
jab followed by a straight left to the chin of Okoth who
dropped like a sack of potatoes. No need to count here,
the ref waved it off before Okoth knew what hit him.
Officially the bout was stopped at the 2:33 mark of
round two. Insert your goofy Elvis quote here.
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