Oscar Valdez-Shakur Stevenson Officially Announced For April 30 At MGM Grand In Las Vegas
All of the “Is” are dotted and all of the “Ts” are crossed on contracts for Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson.
Promoter Top Rank Inc. and ESPN jointly announced Thursday that their 12-round, 130-pound title unification fight will take place April 30 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. BS.com and other outlets reported January 16 that the unbeaten champions were nearing a deal to fight that night.
ESPN will air Valdez-Stevenson live following its coverage of the final day of the NFL Draft, scheduled for April 28-30 in Las Vegas. ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ also will respectively televise and stream Valdez-Stevenson live.
“Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson are the world’s best junior lightweights,” Bob Arum, Top Rank’s founder, said in a press release issued Thursday afternoon. “The fans and the fighters demanded this matchup, and we are proud to deliver it live on ESPN for no extra charge. The winner becomes a superstar, and I know both men will rise to the challenge.”
Valdez and Stevenson indeed demanded to fight each other next.
Arum preferred to match Mexico’s Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs) against countryman Emanuel Navarrete (35-1, 29 KOs) in his next fight. Navarrete, the WBO featherweight champion, would’ve had to move up from the featherweight limit of 126 pounds to square off versus Valdez, himself a former WBO 126-pound champ.
That could’ve left Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) to box three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko (16-2, 11 KOs), who instead seems headed for a shot at IBF/WBC franchise/WBA/WBO lightweight champ George Kambosos Jr. (20-0, 10 KOs) on June 5 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Stevenson eventually wants to fight Lomachenko, but he criticized Arum publicly for not wanting him to battle Valdez next.
The 24-year-old Stevenson, a southpaw from Newark, New Jersey, previously publicly questioned Valdez’s willingness to fight him since Stevenson was the WBO’s mandatory challenger for Valdez’s WBO featherweight title. Valdez vacated that championship and moved up to the 130-pound division instead of making an obligatory title defense against Stevenson, who won the unclaimed WBO 126-pound crown by easily out-pointing Joet Gonzalez in October 2019.
The 30-year-old Valdez eventually grew tired of hearing and reading that he was avoiding Stevenson. That’s why he informed Arum that he didn’t want any opponent other than Stevenson for his next defense of the WBC super featherweight title.
Two fights ago, Valdez battered fellow Mexican Miguel Berchelt on his way to a surprising 10th-round knockout last February 20 at MGM Grand Conference Center. Stevenson, however, is a highly skilled, intelligent technician who is one of the best defensive fighters in the sport.
The 2016 Olympic silver medalist overwhelmed Jamel Herring with his speed and skill in Stevenson’s most recent fight. Stevenson, the mandatory challenger for Stevenson’s title, beat Cincinnati’s Herring (23-3, 11 KOs) by 10th-round technical knockout October 23 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta to win the WBO 130-pound crown.
Valdez, meanwhile, had a tougher time in his first defense of his WBC belt than he did while beating Berchelt. Valdez beat Brazil’s Robson Conceicao (17-1, 8 KOs) by unanimous decision September 10, but their 12-rounder was closely contested at Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.
Valdez caused controversy before he entered the ring with Conceicao because he tested positive for Phentermine nearly a month before their fight.
Phentermine, a stimulant banned by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association both in and out of competition, was detected in Valdez’s “A” and “B” samples provided to VADA on August 13. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission still approved Valdez’s license application because all state and tribal commissions in the United States that are affiliated with the Association of Boxing Commissions adhere to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s standards, not those established by VADA.
