Oscar Collazo main event now a non-title flyweight bout
Jun 19, 2026 • 3:37 PM ET
Courtesy of Golden Boy PromotionsAnother day, another turn for Oscar Collazo.
Informed early that his replacement opponent, Mexico’s Neider Valdez, had no chance of making the 105-lbs weight limit for Saturday night’s DAZN main-event minimumweight title bout at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California, Collazo weighed in Friday at 110.6lbs while Valdez came in at 111.2lbs.
Collazo’s WBO and WBA belts will no longer be on the line, but the Puerto Rican will fight for the WBA International flyweight strap.
Valdez, 15-3-3 (12 KOs), was summoned this week after top-15 ranked original opponent Joey Canoy could not secure a travel visa to reach the U.S. from the Philippines and first-choice replacement opponent, Luis Castillo of Mexico, couldn't either.
Collazo, 14-0 (11 KOs), told BoxingScene Thursday he’s considering moving on from the 105lbs division to either seek the winner of the July 20 Shokicki Iwata-Erik Badillo WBC light flyweight title bout, or to make the bigger leap to flyweight and pursue fellow Golden Boy Promotions fighter and unified 112-lbs champion Ricardo Sandoval.
Collazo assured that his power will transfer up in weight, and now he’ll have the opportunity to prove that against Valdez, who has been knocked out twice in the past two-plus years.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
