Oscar Valdez wants to fight in December

By Boxing News - 06/19/2018 - Comments

Image: Oscar Valdez wants to fight in December

By Chris Williams: WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) is hoping to comeback from his broken jaw to defend his WBO title in December if he’s given the green light by his doctor to return to the ring.

Valdez, 27, broke his jaw in the 5th round of his last fight against Scott Quigg on March 10. Valdez made the mistake of standing and punching with Quigg in the first five rounds, and he paid a heavy price in getting nailed by a big left hook that broke his jaw. Valdez then fought the remaining 7 rounds with a broken jaw.

When Valdez does fight again, he’s going to take on a softer opponent than his last fight against Quigg. That was not an easy fight for Valdez despite the fact that he won by a wide 12 round unanimous decision by the scores 118-110, 117-111 and 117-111. That was a grueling fight for Valdez.

“I would love to fight in December. We’re just waiting on the doctor to give us the OK,” Valdez said to ESPN.com. “But me, personally, I feel OK. But obviously when I say these things my dad and Frank say no, we need a doctor’s OK. So I’m just waiting on the doctor to give me the OK so I can go in there and fight. I know a boxing career is very short. I’m 27. I want to get as many fights as possible,” Valdez said.

Carl Frampton is breathing down Valdez’s neck, and he expects to be facing him soon after he gets his next fight out of the way against Luke Jackson on August 18. Valdez needs to make sure he get a tune-up fight of the way before he faces Frampton, because the last thing that he wants or needs is for him to be his first fight after a long layoff. Valdez needs to be confident that his jaw will be able to hold up to the pounding that it’ll endure from Frampton.

It would be surprising if the doctor allows Valdez to return to the ring in December because that’s only nine months after suffering a broken jaw. It might be too risky for Valdez to return to the ring that soon unless he faces a soft opponent ranked near the bottom of the World Boxing Organization’s top 15 ranking.

”We’ll talk to Bob about when is my next fight. Hopefully, it will be soon because I can’t wait to get in there,” Valdez said.

Bob Arum of Top Rank probably isn’t going to want to risk bringing back Valdez so quickly, not after the way he was hurt by Quigg last March. Since he’s going to be facing Frampton sooner or later, it’s best that Arum brings Valdez back slowly rather than rushing him back to the ring.