Oscar Valdez will be in his hometown for his first fight back since getting demolished last December by Emanuel Navarrete. And this homecoming now has a broadcast home in the United States.
Here’s what you need to know:
Oscar Valdez vs. Ricky Medina is on Saturday, September 6. The broadcast will begin at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. BST).
What channel is Oscar Valdez vs. Ricky Medina on?
Oscar Valdez vs. Ricky Medina will air on ESPN Deportes.
Where is Oscar Valdez vs. Ricky Medina?
The fight is taking place at Domo Binacional in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Who is Oscar Valdez?
Oscar Valdez, 32-3 (24 KOs), is a former featherweight and junior lightweight titleholder who has only lost to fellow titleholders. But it is fair to wonder just how much the 34-year-old has left.
Valdez turned pro nearly 13 years ago as a two-time Olympian who competed at bantamweight in both tournaments. He lost in his only outing in 2008 to eventual gold medalist Enkhbatyn Badar-Uugan and then made it to the quarterfinals in 2012, when he was sent packing by eventual silver medalist John Joe Nevin.
The pro style suited Valdez, who stopped former featherweight titleholder Evgeny Gradovich in April 2016 and then won the vacant WBO belt three months later with a two-round drubbing of the undefeated Matias Rueda.
Valdez made six successful defenses at 126lbs, including decisions over Miguel Marriaga and the previously unbeaten Genisis Servania, and he also fought through a broken jaw en route to a decision win against the overweight Scott Quigg.
Valdez moved up to 130lbs at the end of 2019. In February 2021, he shocked Miguel Berchelt by 10th-round knockout to win the WBC junior lightweight title. Valdez made one successful defense, outpointing Robson Conceicao – an Olympic gold medalist who later went on to win a pro world title himself.
Then Valdez faced another Olympic medalist, Shakur Stevenson, who took home the silver in 2016. This was a unification bout, with Stevenson’s WBO title also on the line. Stevenson dropped Valdez once en route to a wide decision victory in April 2022.
Since then, Valdez has fought only four times, going 2-2. He outpointed the 16-4 Adam Lopez in May 2023, lost a decision to Emanuel Navarrete in August 2023, stopped Liam Wilson in seven rounds in March 2024, and fared much worse in his rematch with Navarrete last December, hitting the canvas three times and losing via sixth-round knockout.
Who is Ricky Medina?
Ricky Medina, 16-3 (9 KOs), is a 24-year-old from San Antonio, Texas. Two of his defeats have come against familiar names, and he’s made it to the final bell for all three losses: unanimous decisions against Raymond Ford in 2022, the 16-1 George Acosta in late 2023, and unbeaten prospect Jonathan “Geo” Lopez in September 2024.
Medina’s last fight was last December, when he won a third-round TKO in San Antonio against the 13-8 Angel Hernandez Pillado.
What other fights are on the undercard of Oscar Valdez vs. Ricky Medina?
The televised undercard includes three fights and the potential for a fourth, a swing bout.
The three guaranteed matches are Jose Israel Ramirez, 23-2 (12 KOs), vs. Jose Amaro, 12-0-1 (4 KOs), in a 10-rounder at junior featherweight; Angel Patron, 17-0 (12 KOs), vs. Carlos Vargas, 18-2 (13 KOs), in an eight-rounder at junior featherweight; and Ricardo Gonzalez, 9-0 (7 KOs), vs. Leobardo Quintana, 11-1 (5 KOs), in an eight-rounder at junior lightweight.
The swing bout would be between Luis Corona Parra, 5-0-1 (4 KOs), vs. Yohan Orduno, 3-0 (3 KOs), in a six-rounder at junior lightweight.
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
