Oscar Valdez and Robson Conceicao have cleared the first hurdle ahead of their upcoming title fight.
Both boxers weighed within the maximum limit 30 days out from their World Boxing Council (WBC) junior lightweight title fight, which will take place September 10 at AVA Amphitheater at Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona. As per WBC terms, all sanctioned fights require a 30-day, 14-day and 7-day weight safety check preceding the official pre-fight weigh-in.
Valdez weighed 140.6 pounds as the defending titlist, while Conceicao checked in at 142.8 pounds for his first career title fight. The maximum allowable weight at the 30-day mark is 10% above the contracted limit, or 143 pounds for a junior lightweight title fight.
The upcoming title fight—which will air live on ESPN—pits multi-time Olympians with a little bit of history between them. Valdez (29-0, 23KOs)—who split time between Nogales, Mexico and Tucson as a youth—represented Mexico in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, while Conceicao (160, 8KOs) represented Brazil in 2018 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio. The latter saw Conceicao become the first-ever boxer from Brazil to win a Gold medal, having since been joined by Hebert Conceicao Sousa (no relation, though the two are close friends) following his come-from-behind, third-round knockout of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khzyhniak in the men’s middleweight final earlier this month in Tokyo.
Valdez will attempt the first defense of the WBC junior lightweight title he claimed in an emphatic tenth-round knockout of countryman Miguel Berchelt this past February at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The feat saw Valdez—who trains out of Eddy Reynoso’s all-star camp in San Diego—become a two-division titlist, having previously held the WBO featherweight title before moving up in weight in 2019.
Conceicao not only fights for his first major title but enters just his third career bout scheduled for ten or more rounds. The 32-year-old contender is coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Jesus Ahumada this past April in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Valdez and Conceicao will be required to once again weigh in on August 27 (14-day mark) and September 3 (seven-day). The 14-day limit is no more than 5% above the contracted limit, rounded up to 137 pounds. The seven-day limit is no more than 3% above the contracted limit, rounded up to 134 pounds.
From there, both boxers are required to weigh no more than 130 pounds on September 9 at the official pre-fight weigh-in.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
