Carlos Zarate-Alfonso Zamora. Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales. Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez. Orlando Salido-Francisco Vargas.
Could Miguel Berchelt-Oscar Valdez be the next great fight that will live up or surpass expectations in terms of action and excitement?
That remains to be seen, but the fight is finally here. The real winners, like in the aforementioned fights, might be the fans tuning in.
Berchelt and Valdez will square off tonight at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 12-round bout will follow the 10-round bout between unbeaten Gabriel Flores and Jayson Velez.
Both fights will air live on ESPN (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT).
On the line will be Berchelt’s WBC junior lightweight title.
Both fighters have acknowledged leading up to tonight that the fight will be all action and will be a throwback to past fights. Both fighters are aggressive, throw a high volume of punches and stand in the pocket to exchange punches and combinations.
The buildup to the fight has been great. Both fighters have been accessible to the media, ESPN has ran ads during the Australian Open, NBA and college basketball games, and there is a buzz amongst fans on social media.
The other plus has been neither fighter has had to degrade or trash the other. Both fighters respect one another’s qualities and are confident of victory going into tonight’s fight.
It is too bad boxing does not have many of these nights, where fights between Berchelt and Valdez create an anticipation and buzz that few mirror.
Berchelt (37-1 1 NC, 33 knockouts), who resides in Merida, Mexico, will be making the seventh defense of his WBC title. In his last defense of the title in November 2019, Berchelt dropped Jason Sosa multiple times before the fight was stopped in round 4.
The 29-year-old has looked strong and has incorporated more boxing to his skill-set to compliment his punching power. He also anticipates a war tonight against Valdez, but believes he will have too much firepower and will have his hand raised in victory.
“I’ve been following Oscar since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, since that was an opportunity I wanted for myself,” said Berchelt at Thursday’s press conference. “ I respect him. We know the quality of the opponent we have in front of us, but I'm here to get the win and (retain) my title."
"Styles make fight, and I believe my style and Oscar's style will make for a great fight, so we'll see what happens. This is going to be a great fight. I know what it's taken me to get this title, and I'm sure I will defend this title successfully again."
Valdez (28-0, 22 KOs), who resides in Sonora, Mexico, had a rough debut at 130 pounds, getting dropped by late-sub Adam Lopez in November 2019 before winning by knockout in round 7. In his last bout on July 21, Valdez dropped Jayson Velez three times before winning by knockout in round 10.
The 30-year-old, who also won a world title belt at 126, is confident he can not only pull off the upset win, but relishes being the underdog, fueling his motivation to be victorious tonight.
“(The Berchelt fight) is the first time me being the underdog and I’m loving it,” Valdez told BoxingScene earlier this week. “It’s nothing but motivation. I’m loving that boxing experts have said that Berchelt is going to walk me down. He’s going to beat me and he’s going to do this and that. I’ve heard my idol, Julio Cesar Chavez, say that he thinks Berchelt is going to win. And that doesn’t bother me. I catch myself noticing that. It just motivates me. There’s nothing better in this world than proving people who doubt you wrong. Showing them that they were wrong is one of the most beautiful things out there. When they tell you can’t do something and then you prove them wrong, I think it’s going to be a beautiful night for me. Hearing all these experts saying these things or being the underdog, it just adds motivation.
Valdez is promoted by Top Rank and managed by Frank Espinoza.
The stage is set for tonight. Two fighters will lay it all on the line. A world title belt will be on the line, but also on the line will be bragging rights and pride. Boxing fans cannot ask for anything more.
And while certain fights do not get made for whatever reason, boxing fans can find solace that at least Berchelt and Valdez are willing to get it on against each other.
Tonight should be epic.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.
