Oscar Valdez vs Shakur Stevenson super featherweight unification fight preview

Fistfuls of chess as Oscar Valdez faces Shakur Stevenson

By James Blears

Who will have the moves, culminating in checkmate, when WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez fights WBO super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday April 30?

It's a calculated risk for precocious 24 year old wonderkind Shakur, who won the WBO featherweight title, prior to the super featherweight crown, now going for Green and Gold. His record is 17-0, 9KOs.  While thirty one year old Oscar's who's also a former WBO featherweight champion and now WBC super featherweight monarch, is much more experienced, peppery plus seasoned with 30-0, 23 KOs.

An Olympic Silver medalist, southpaw Shakur, who was named after rapper Tupac Shakur, has God given skills, which are reminiscent in some ways, of Pernell Whitaker's brilliance.  The greatest of 'em all Sugar Ray Robinson said: “Every move you make, starts with your heart, and that's in rhythm… or you're in trouble.”

Some successful people are movers and shakers. This young man is a mover, yet seldom shaken. He is so very hard to hit and even harder to nail cleanly or solidly. Poised is one description, and elegantly elusive is another. Deft anticipation, trigger-like reflexes, superb footwork and an aversion to being hit. A defensive wizard, he never foolishly rushes in, where angels fear to tread.

Shakur who appears younger than his years, with a youthful ready smile, outside ring hours, has a boxing IQ of maturity within its squared perimeters.  He places punches and times them with lightning precision, rather than unleashing them, relying on rolling thunderbolts. He`s a craftsman, rather than a KO artist.  But in this fight it`s not all him. Make no mistake about it, Oscar possesses the power, the boxing smarts and resolve to upend all of that.

Oscar calls this fight a chess game, predicting that the smarter fighter with the greater IQ wins. Part of Oscar's philosophy as well as strategy comes down to: “Don't let anyone tell you, you can't do anything. Prove them wrong!”

Not so long ago, when they were on a photo shoot alongside the Grand Old Man of Top Rank Bob Arum, with a camera crew fussing around and about them. Shakur was smiling and affable. Not so Oscar.  No grin, just grim and all business. Formal, correct and icy.

In the fight before this, Shakur proved that he's more than a cutie. He hammered Jamel Herring cutting his right eye and then pouring it on in round ten, convincing Referee Mark Nelson to stop it at 1.30 as bunches of punches were landing laser fashion, without reply.

A lot better than the fight against Jeremiah Nakathila, which was technically a shutout, but a yawnfest and a stalemate, as a spectacle.

Shakur, who audaciously says that he already belongs in the top five pound for pound, feels he's ready to test himself against the best… and to triumph. He surmises that now is the time, because Oscar's previous fight against Robson Conceicao, wasn't his finest by a long chalk. The taller Brazilian, who previously defeated Oscar in the amateurs, and won Olympic Gold, posed and provided problems in the first half of their recent fight, landing long jabs and quick combinations.

Showing his steel and mettle as a champion, Oscar dug deep and landed the more powerful punches in the second half and down the straight, to win a UD.

Oscar was tested even more exactingly and excruciatingly in the fight with England`s Scott Quigg, when he suffered a broken jaw in the fifth, but fought on to win a UD in a thrilling slugfest.

His best performance was in winning the WBC super featherweight Green and Gold Belt against a much larger Miguel “Alacran” Berchelt. Likely that Miguel had not fully recovered from covid 19, but in this fight, Oscar outsmarted him before overpowering and flattening him, with a shuddering good night left hook in the tenth, which rendered Miguel unconscious. With a little more time, it could have all ended earlier, in the fourth.

Shakur is unlike any rival Oscar has faced before. Shakur is more comfortable boxing on the back foot, but is adept at adapting to, exploring and exploiting the style of his opponent. Oscar must use accuracy and electricity to land power punches, and with regularity.

Oscar is dissimilar to any opponent Shakur has ever fought. The power of Oscar`s punches and the lambast intent with which he throws them, will make the younger man pay attention, rather than sit up. He`s no slouch.

Shakur most take care not to be trapped on the ropes or caught at short range, especially by Oscar`s vaunted left hook. Oscar must remain focused and patient, not succumbing to impatience or frustration. He`d do better to avoid chasing nimble Shakur around and try to command the ebb and flow of the action. Poetry in motion.

Oscar is just shy of five feet six inches tall with a sixty six inch reach. While Shakur is five feet eight with a sixty eight inch reach. This fight will extend and depend on angles and precision but also  power and pop.

In chess, a Rook can move forwards, backwards or sideways, but not diagonally. Whoever wins this one must have the facility to do it all.

 

WBC STATS 

This will be the WBC's 2,137th championship title fight in their 59-year history 

136 Super-featherweight world title bouts held in WBC in 15 different countries

This will be the 68th WBC super-featherweight world title fight held in America

This will be the 34th WBC super-featherweight world title fight held in Nevada

343 WBC title fights have been held in the Nevada State

 

Tale of the Tape

OSCAR VALDEZ
WBC CHAMPION

NATIONALITY: MEXICO
DATE OF BIRTH: DECEMBER 22, 1990
BIRTH PLACE: NOGALES, SONORA
RESIDENCE: WEST COVINA, CA
AGE: 31
RECORD: 30-0-0, 23 KOs
KO RATIO: 76.7%
GUARD: ORTHODOX
TOTAL ROUNDS: 180
WORLD TITLES FIGHTS: 9 (9-0-0)
TRAINER: EDDY REYNOSO
MANAGER: FRANK ESPINOZA
PROMOTER: TOP RANK

 

SHAKUR STEVENSON
WBO CHAMPION
NATIONALITY: USA
DATE OF BIRTH: JUNE 28, 1997
BIRTH PLACE: SALVADOR, BAHIA
RESIDENCE: SALVADOR, BAHIA
AGE: 24
RECORD: 17-0-0, 9 KOs
KO RATIO: 52.9%
GUARD: SOUTHPAW
TOTAL ROUNDS: 103
WORLD TITLES FIGHTS: 3 (3-0-0)
TRAINER: WILLIE MOSES
MANAGER: JENSEN SOTO
PROMOTER: TOP RANK
 

WBC's history of super-featherweight world champions

GABRIEL ELORDE (PHIL) 1963 – 1967

YOSHIAKI NUMATA (JAP) 1967

HIROSHI KOBAYASHI (JAPAN) 1967 – 1968

RENE BARRIENTOS (PHIL) 1969 – 1970

YOSHIAKI NUMATA (JAPAN) * 1970 – 1971

RICARDO ARREDONDO (MEX) 1971 – 1974

KUNIAKI SHIBATA (JAP) 1974 – 1975

ALFREDO ESCALERA (P. RICO) 1975 – 1978

ALEXIS ARGUELLO (NIC) 1978 – 1980

RAFAEL LIMON (MEX) 1980 – 1981

CORNELIUS BOZA-EDWARDS (UGA) 1981

ROLANDO NAVARRETE (PHIL) 1981 – 1982

RAFAEL LIMON (MEX) * 1982

BOBBY CHACON (US) 1982 – 1983

HECTOR CAMACHO (P. RICO) 1983

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (MEX) 1984 – 1987

AZUMAH NELSON (GHANA) 1988 – 1994

JAMES LEIJA (US) 1994

GABRIEL RUELAS (MEX) 1994 – 1995

AZUMAH NELSON (GHANA) * 1995 – 1997

GENARO HERNANDEZ (US) 1997 – 1998

FLOYD MAYWEATHER (US) 1998 – 2001

SIRIMONGKOL SINGMANASSUK (THAILAND) 2002 – 2003

JESUS CHAVEZ (MEXICO) 2003 – 2004

ERIK MORALES (MEXICO) 2004

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA (MEXICO) 2004 – 2007

JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ (MEXICO) 2007 – 2008

MANNY PACQUIAO (PHILIPPINES) 2008

HUMBERTO SOTO (MEXICO) 2008 – 2009

HUMBERTO MAURO GUTIERREZ (MEXICO) INTERIM 2009

VITALY TAJBERT (GERMANY) 2009 – 2010

TAKAHIRO AOH (JAPAN) 2010 – 2012

GAMALIEL DIAZ (MEXICO) 2012 – 2013

TAKASHI MIURA (JAPAN) 2013 – 2015

FRANCISCO VARGAS (MEXICO) 2015 – 2017

MIGUEL BERCHELT (MEXICO) 2017 – 2021

OSCAR VALDEZ (MEXICO) 2021 –

*Regained title

 

WBC's Top 10 super-featherweight champions

1. JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (MEXICO)

2. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. (US)

3. ALEXIS ARGUELLO (NICARAGUA)

4. HECTOR CAMACHO (P. RICO)

5. AZUMAH NELSON (GHANA)

6. GABRIEL ELORDE (PHIL)

7. ERIK MORALES (MEXICO)

8. MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA (MEXICO)

9. RICARDO ARREDONDO (MEXICO)

10. JAMES LEIJA (US) 

 

 WBC Greatest super-featherweight fights

15/06/1967 : YOSHIAKI NUMATA – GABRIEL ELORDE (DEC 15) TOKYO

06/10/1971: RICARDO ARREDONDO – YOSHIAKI NUMATA (DEC 15) SENDAI

01/03/1974: KUNIAKI SHIBATA – RICARDO ARREDONDO (DEC 15) TOKYO

04/07/1975 : ALFREDO ESCALERA – KUNIAKI SHIBATA (KO 2) MITA

28/01/1978: ALEXIS ARGUELLO – ALFREDO ESCALERA (TKO 13) BAYAMON

08/07/1979: ALEXIS ARGUELLO – RAFAEL LIMON (TKO 11) NEW YORK

16/11/1979: ALEXIS ARGUELLO – BOBBY CHACON (TKO 8)LOS ANGELES

30/05/1981: CORNELIUS BOZA EDWARDS – BOBBY CHACON (TKO 14) LAS VEGAS

11/12/1982: BOBBY CHACON – RAFAEL LIMON (DEC 15) SACRAMENTO

07/08/1983: HECTOR CAMACHO – RAFAEL LIMON (TKO 5) SAN JUAN

13/09/1984: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ – MARIO MARTINEZ (TKO 8) LOS ANGELES

12/12/1986: JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ – JUAN LAPORTE (DEC 12) NEW YORK

25/02/1989: AZUMAH NELSON – MARIO MARTINEZ (TKO 12) LAS VEGAS

01/03/1991: AZUMAH NELSON – JEFF FENECH (TKO 8) MELBOURNE

20/02/1993: AZUMAH NELSON – GABRIEL RUELAS (DEC 12) MEXICO CITY

17/09/1994: GABRIEL RUELAS – JAMES LEIJA (DEC 12) LAS VEGAS

28/01/1995 : GABRIEL RUELAS – FRED LIBERATORE (TKO 2) LAS VEGAS

22/03/1997: GENARO HERNANDEZ – AZUMAH NELSON (DEC 12) CORPUS CHRISTI

03/10/1998: FLOYD MAYWEATHER – GENARO HERNANDEZ (TKO 8) LAS VEGAS

20/01/2001: FLOYD MAYWEATHER – DIEGO CORRALES (TKO 10) LAS VEGAS

28/02/2004: ERIK MORALES – JESUS CHAVEZ (DEC 12) LAS VEGAS

27/11/2004: MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA – ERIK MORALES (DEC 12) LAS VEGAS

02/07/2006: MANNY PACQUIAO – OSCAR LARIOS (DEC 12) MANILA

17/03/2007: JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ – MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA (DEC 12) LAS VEGAS

15/03/2008: MANNY PACQUIAO – JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ (DEC 12) LAS VEGAS

11/05/2019: MIGUEL BERCHELT – FRANCISCO VARGAS (TKO 6) TUCSON

20/02/2021: OSCAR VALDEZ – MIGUEL BERCHELT (KO 10) LAS VEGAS

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