Two-weight world champion Oscar Valdez said he is hungrier and more motivated than ever to back into title contention as the Mexican prepares for his comeback fight against Liam Wilson later this month.
Valdez (31-2-0 23 KO) suffered just the second defeat of his career in his last bout, losing a unanimous decision to WBO super-featherweight world champion Emanuel Navarrete in August. It was a second loss in the Mexican’s past three fights having fallen short against Shakur Stevenson in a unification bout as Valdez handed over his WBC belt to the then WBO champion in April 2022.
Those defeats were the first of Valdez’s excellent career, which saw him go unbeaten for a decade and collect world titles at featherweight and super-featherweight. It also led some critics to suggest that the 33-year-old’s best days were behind him, but Valdez insisted that couldn’t be further from the truth, and he is ready to prove it when he faces Wilson on March 29 in Glendale.
When asked in an interview with BoxingScene if he is fueled by the prospect of returning to title contention, Valdez said: “It’s definitely my motivation. I wake up every single day, manifesting, I’m going to become the super featherweight champion of the world. That’s in my mind.
“But also, it did bring me down knowing I had been a champion and I lost the opportunity against Navarrete. It just sucks. It sucked working hard and it not going the way I wanted it to go. But mostly, I do use it as motivation.”
Valdez Ready For Wilson Brawl
The crucial first step towards that goal is beating Wilson and doing so convincingly. The Australian has two defeats on his record, the most recent coming in a ninth-round stoppage to Navarrete in February last year.
Valdez has clearly done his homework on his next opponent, who proved against Navarrete that he can trouble top-tier fighters; Wilson put ‘Vaquero’ down in the fourth round before the Mexican rallied to claim the TKO and the vacant WBO title.
“He’s a guy who likes to stay in there and fight,” Valdez said. “I like those fighters. I like those fighters that go in there and give it their best. But he does carry a punch. He does have a reach advantage on me. The guy has a good left hook. Digs well to the body. Changes southpaw. Throws a nice 1-2. So there’s a lot of good things that I see about him that I have to work on and be ready for.”
There is no doubt that Valdez is the far more skilled boxer, but the Mexican is expecting to scrap with Wilson and said he is happy to oblige.
‘Still Faster Than Anybody Else’
“You can expect some brawling for sure,” he said. “But it all depends on what he brings to the table. I think he’s gonna want to brawl – and that’s what I like. That’s my style. You want to go toe to toe? Let’s go toe to toe. Let’s give the fans what they want. So, I just really can’t wait. I know it’s going to be a fan-friendly fight. I can’t wait to step in there. We’re talking about it right now and I’m starting to loosen up my arms – I can’t wait.”
As for the accusations that he is past his prime, Valdez dismissed such suggestions, insisting that he is training just as hard as he has for the past decade.
“I still have the work ethic that I had in my 20s, I still work hard, I still go faster than anybody else,” he said. “I spar 20-year-olds, and I’ve still got the same reactions, same speed that I always had. “I do feel some things different, like losing weight is harder. Maybe when I’m on the track, my 400s, I used to do a 1:05 lap, now I do 1:08 or 1:10.
“But I basically feel the same physically. If you take care of your body the way that you should as an athlete, when you make it a lifestyle, when you prioritize eating good food over bad food, being in the gym over going out at night, sleeping well over not getting sleep, then you maybe don’t age the way you’re supposed to in your 30s. I still feel like I can outlast any fighter out there.”
More must-reads: