By Francisco Salazar, photos by Mikey Williams
Two of Top Rank's unbeaten fighters will return to action on December 12.
Oscar Valdez and Jose Benavidez return in separate bouts in Tucson, Ariz., Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman told BoxingScene.com. The Top Rank card will take place at the Tucson Arena.
Both bouts will air on Unimas, as part of the 'Solo Boxeo Tecate' broadcast.
Valdez will face Ernie Sanchez in what will likely be an eight round bout.
Valdez (17-0, 15 KOs) has had a breakthrough 2015, one that has seen him fight on a premium network and slowly entering contender status.
The 24-year-old Valdez, who is managed by Frank Espinoza, is ranked number nine by the WBC and IBF. The WBO has Valdez as the mandatory challenger to Vasyl Lomachenko's title.
In his last bout on September 11, Valdez scored an impressive fifth technical knockout win over former world title challenger Chris Avalos in Las Vegas, Nev.
Sanchez (15-6-1, 6 KOs) knocked out Ji Hoon Cha in the first round on September 19 in Wanju, South Korea. The win snapped a four-bout winless streak, where Sanchez has lost to the likes of Andres Gutierrez, Rey Vargas, and prospect Sergey Lipinets.
Benavidez (23-0, 16 KOs) has not fought since May 15, when he stopped Jorge Paez Jr. in the 12 round in his hometown of Phoenix, Ariz.
The 23-year-old Benavidez will face Sidney Siqueira (26-10-1, 17 KOs).
Junior welterweight Luis Ramos (24-2, 10 KOs) will fight on the card in non-televised action.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for BoxingScene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
