Melina Pizano/ MatchroomAmong those rooting on Texas’ O’Shaquie Foster in his Saturday night WBC super-featherweight title defense in Houston is a former foe: two-division champion Oscar Valdez.
Mexico’s Valdez 33-3 (24KOs) offers a qualifying WBC top-15 ranking at No. 12, and also a quality backstory with Foster in that Valdez defeated him in North American amateur bantamweight qualifying on the way to the 2012 Summer Games in London.
“We had a good fight for the first two rounds and then they ended up stopping him as I was going to the body and just putting on a lot of pressure,” two-time Olympian Valdez told BoxingScene Friday as Foster 24-3 (12KOs) heads to his sixth WBC 130lbs title fight against New Jersey’s former champion Raymond Ford on DAZN.
“I know it’s a different ballgame as a professional, but I think Foster will be interested in trying to get his revenge now in the professional grounds.”
At 35, Valdez is at an admitted crossroads in his career.
His only losses are to pound-for-pound top-10 members Shakur Stevenson and Emanuel Navarrete, but he’s a promotional free agent after parting ways with his longtime promoter Top Rank, which handles Foster.
Valdez returned to the ring in September following his December 2024 sixth-round knockout loss to now-unified champion Navarrete and defeated Richard Medina by unanimous decision in Mexico.
“When I last fought Navarrete, I heard Foster wanted me to win because he wanted the rematch. In this case, it’s the same for me. I'm rooting for Foster because I know he wants this fight,” Valdez said.
“He wants his chance to get the revenge, and I think it'll be a great match as professionals. When I was an amateur, I already had that professional style, that approach of coming forward and going all-in, and he was still a very fast fighter at that time. Foster was very upset with me stopping him.”
Valdez reigned as WBO featherweight champion from 2016 to 2019, then captured the WBC super-featherweight belt by knocking out champion Miguel Berchelt in 2021.
While the convincing loss to Navarrete discouraged, Valdez watched his countryman beat down then-IBF champion Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in February, and feels he can still contend with the best fighters in the division.
“I know boxing fans can be the most cruel critics, and that’s OK, because I was once also a critic when I looked at [aging] Eric Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez,” Valdez said. “But now that I'm living on this side, you know, I cut myself some slack. I feel great. I stay disciplined inside and outside the ring, try to take care of my body as much as possible, I’m eating well and have good habits.
“And I’m staying ready for the next call. So, this is my call.”
Valdez said he doesn’t want to bottle up legitimate fervor.
“One thing that I can't live with is not taking that chance and living with regret, because right now I feel great, to be honest,” Valdez said. “Even though I’ve come off a loss, physically and mentally, I feel right.
“I know that the fighter might be the last person to realize when it's time to hang up the gloves, and if it's time to hang up the gloves, well, all right, I will, but for now I don't want to live with the regret because I feel great and I know in the future that if I stop now, I'll be I'll be looking back and saying, ‘Man, I felt great at that moment.’
“Why not live for that chance? Why not try to fight the best – the champion? And that’s Foster.”
With the news this week that former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, 38, wants to meet recent title challenger Charly Suarez in his comeback-from-retirement bout while pursuing Navarrete, Valdez feels the timing is ideal for him to assert himself and call out Foster.
For now, the WBC No. 1 contender is Italy’s Michael Magnesi 26-2 (13KOs) – not a marquee name.
“I’ve got a big background. I’m a guy who’s got a whole country that supports me and you know I’ll give it my best shot,” Valdez said. “For me, it's shooting for the stars and it'll be a great opportunity to have a whole country looking at this fight.
“It’s one last try, and it's why not? It’s been a great career, taking on superstars. I’ve always wanted to shoot for the stars and now Foster’s the one.”
