By Mark Eisner: WBO super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) easily defeated previously unbeaten WBC belt holder Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision in their unification fight on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The scores were 117-110, 118-109, and 118-109. Stevenson dropped Valdez in the sixth round when he slipped on the canvas. The referee still scored it as a knockdown, though.
Shakur did a good job of straight-arming Valdez, using the illegal tactic to keep him from getting close enough to throw a shot. Surprisingly, the referee waited until the 11th round to warn Stevenson about the illegal tactic.
By that point, it was too late for Valdez to take advantage of Stevenson no longer straight-armining.
In the 12th round, Stevenson avoided Valdez and finished the fight with a whimper.
Stevenson looked much bigger than the 5’5 1/2″, perhaps as big as a rehydrated light welterweight.
That’s not surprising, though, because Stevenson’s appearance was skeletal at the weigh-in last Friday, and one could tell he would gain a lot of water weight back overnight.
Undercard results:
- Lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis (5-0, 4 KOs) defeated Esteban Sanchez (18-2, 8 KOs) by a sixth round knockout. David pulverized Sanchez, pounding on him like a wondering driving a stake onto the ground. In the sixth, referee Robert Hoyle stpped and and stopped the slaughter. The time of the stoppage was at 2:44 of the round. The 2020 Olympic silver medalist Davis needs to be put in with better opposition because winning too easily, and not getting anything from these mismatches.
- Lightweight Ramond Muratalla (14-0, 12 KOs) kept his perfect record intact with a third-round knockout of Jeremy Hill (16-3, 11 KOs). The heavy-handed 25-year-old California native Muratalla knocked Hill down in the second round. In round three, Muratalla knocked Hill down with a hard right hand to the head. At that point, referee Tony Weeks stepped in and halted the fight at 2:27 of the round.
- Unbeaten lightweight Andres Cortes (17-0, 10 KOs) overpowered Alexis Del Bosque (18-6-1, 9 KO’s) by a sixth-round knockout. In the sixth round, the 24-year-old Cortes hurt Del Bosque, resulting in the referee halting the contest.
- Middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh (5-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Alejandro Ibarra (7-2, 2 KOs) in the first round of a mismatch. Walsh connected with two solid shots to the head of Ibarra, sending him to the canvas. The fight was then halted. The time of the stoppage was at 2:50 of the round.
Preivew:
The two unbeaten super featherweight champions will enter the ring tonight, and one will emerge as the two-belt unified champion, ready for further unification matches.
“Obviously, it’s not the toughest fighter that wins, but the smartest, toughest fighter who wins, and no one doubts your boxing skills,” said Max Kellerman to Top Rank Boxing about Oscar Valdez.
“Oscar can box. Obviously, if you watched the [Miguel] Berchelt fight, but most boxing observers believe that for him [Valdez] to win, he’s going to have to test your toughness,” Kellerman continued. “How do you respond that Oscar will test your toughness?”
“I’m prepared for whatever he brings. I trained for eight weeks, I’m in shape, and whatever he wants to bring, he can bring. I’m ready,” said Shakur Stevenson. “I can’t wait for this fight, and I’m going to show out,” said Stevenson.
“Is that something you’re looking forward to, getting in the ring with the best professional fighter you have yet met to see what level, or do you view Oscar Valdez as just another opponent?” said Kellerman.
“We never until we get in the ring. You never know how good Oscar Valdez is until you get in the ring with him. You never know how good a fighter is until you get in the ring with them,” said Shakur.
“Obviously, you’re both hoping for sensational performances. Are you hoping to stop Oscar Valdez to make a statement?” said Kellerman to Shakur.
“If he makes a mistake, I’m going to capitalize on it,” said Stevenson. “If the fight has got to go 12 rounds, it’s got to go 12 rounds. Don’t be surprised if I get him out of there too.”
“Oscar from your point of view, usually you’re a boxer/puncher and Shakur is more of a pure boxer. Usually, in those kinds of matchups, the feeling is that the boxer-puncher is going to have to hurt the boxer,” said Kellerman. “Is that how you see this fight?”
“I see myself just going in there and giving it my best, giving it my all,” said Valdez. “Every time I step in the ring, I always promise that I would never promise anybody a knockout or a fight of the year.
“What I will promise is every time I step in the ring, I will leave everything inside there,” said Valdez.
Oscar Valdez has a tough fight on his hands tonight against unbeaten Shakur Stevenson in a thrilling 130-lb unification fight on ESPN in their headliner at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.