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Oscar Valdez put together the performance of a lifetime on Saturday night, devastating Miguel Berchelt with a vicious left hook in the 10th round and scoring what will be recognized as a favorite for the Knockout of the Year.
The undefeated Valdez entered the fight as an underdog despite being a former WBO featherweight champion. Oddsmakers believed he was biting more than he could chew as he increased his weight to challenge Berchelt for his WBC super featherweight title.
Valdez silenced his skeptics in such a violent way that you will never see him inside a boxing ring.
The world will be talking about the hook that caused a frightening scene when Berchelt’s body collapsed on the canvas, but the fight was more than just a punch. Valdez has been absolutely brilliant throughout the game, as he combined a steady regimen of jabs and left hooks with stellar movement and speed.
The fight was supposed to be competitive on paper, but it was far from it. No one should doubt Valdez again after his phenomenal performance.
“There is nothing better in life than to prove people wrong,” said Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs). “I have a list of people who doubted me. My idols doubted me. Boxing analysts doubted me. They said Berchelt was going to knock me out. I have a message to everyone: don’t leave anyone tell you what you can and can’t. ”
After three rounds of competition, Berchelt (37-2) realized that he had to reduce the distance aggressively. Valdez recognized that the bigger fighter was going to open up and eventually grabbed Berchelt with a left hook which severely injured him.
Somehow, Berchelt managed to get out of the round only being knocked down once. But Valdez had just given a frightening display of punishment that had Berchelt spinning around the ring. The knockdown came when Berchelt needed the ropes to hold him back late in the round.
From there it was all Valdez. Outside of the fifth and sixth rounds, when he rested to fill his energy bar, the 30-year-old increased the exit and scored multiple times with the left hook. Berchelt showed a formidable heart, but it was obvious that he had nothing for Valdez that night.
As the ninth round drew to a close and after Valdez scored another knockout with an uppercut combination, the bigger question was: should Berchelt’s corner continue to send his charge into combat?
The answer was a resounding “no”. But if Berchelt’s corner wasn’t going to end the fight, Valdez would do it for them.
As Berchelt continued to move forward, Valdez used his legs to escape trouble. Then everything suddenly stopped in the last second of the lap; after a wild swing from Berchelt, Valdez backed up, charged and unleashed a left that grabbed the 29-year-old Mexican flush.
Berchelt collapsed on the canvas in a frightening way. Valdez had finished the job and proved his skeptics wrong.
The victory makes Valdez a player in a 130-pound division that also includes WBA champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Shakur Stevenson and WBO champion Jamel Herring.
And if either of them wants a piece of Valdez, then they’re more than ready.
“I want to bring this belt home and I’m happy for it,” he said. “Any champion out there … I heard Shakur Stevenson wanted to fight. Let’s do it. I just want to keep fighting and give the fans what they want.”
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