Smaller-weights takeover: Like 'Bam,' Oscar Collazo willing to move up quickly

Oscar Collazo is not distracted by the turnover in opposition he’s observed this week for the latest unified titles defense of his WBO belt.

From Collazo’s standpoint, it’s the opposition who needs to fret about what he’s bringing to the Frontwave Arena ring.

Saturday night on DAZN, that opponent will be unlucky Mexican contender Neider Valdez, the second replacement opponent summoned after planned foe Joey Canoy remained stuck in his native Philippines due to visa issues.

“It’s been something we’ve been working on for two months,” Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez said at Thursday’s news conference. “Unfortunately, right now in the United States it’s very hard [to receive clearance]. The State Department is being careful with every single case. It’s a lot slower than usual. We had to come up with a replacement… trust me, not a lot of people are running to sign up to fight Oscar Collazo. He’s a bad man, in a good way.

“The last 48 to 72 hours were crazy.”

While there’s irony in the fact that anonymous minimumweight title challenger Canoy was kept at home while the Trump Administration was fine with former two-time heavyweight champion Tyson Fury ending his five-plus-year absence from the U.S. to traipse through the White House at Sunday’s UFC event despite past business ties to alleged Irish drug cartel head Daniel Kinahan, Gomez’s true message was to emphasize that Puerto Rico’s minimumweight champion and pound-for-pound member Collazo, 14-0 (11 KOs), is determined to achieve greatness.

Collazo, 29, told BoxingScene Thursday he’ll do so either by pushing to stand as an undisputed 105-lbs champion – he aims to stand as Puerto Rico’s first undisputed champion – or by moving past the division’s truly thin ranks to pursue the best fighters in the divisions above him.

One that affixes Collazo’s attention is unified (WBC/WBA) flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval, a Southern Californian who also fights on the Golden Boy roster.

“After this fight, I want the WBC [105-lbs] champion by September-October… or I could go up to 108 or 112 lbs. I would love to fight the [WBC 108 lbs title winner between Shokicki] Iwata and Erik Badillo,” Collazo said. “I know I could [move up]. We’re already talking about it, so I know it can happen as soon as this year.

“Believe me, yes, I know I can make that [Sandoval] fight. Puerto Rico-Mexico is a great rivalry. Ricardo Sandoval is a great fighter. I’m here to make big fights; to do the impossible.”

Saturday opponent Valdez, 15-3-3 (12 KOs), has been approved by the WBO as a contender, but his credentials are flimsy, with a 2-3-1 record with two knockout losses over the stretch.

“I don’t really worry about [the opponent change]. In my training camp, we spar and prepare for different styles, because of this,” Collazo said. “We know this can happen at any time. Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy had this handled.”

Collazo’s promotion to a DAZN main event Saturday follows the impressive crowd and buzz generated by former two-division champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez moving up to win the 118-lbs title from Antonio Vargas Saturday in Arizona.

“Since day one, we’ve tried to make people see what we’re doing down here. ‘Bam’ is making it happen. I’m making it happen,” Collazo said. “A lot of punches thrown, activity from rounds one through 12. A lot of good fights, big fights. It’s action-packed. We start fast, we finish fast.”

Gomez additionally Thursday said “we’re very close to finalizing something for his new WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia,” after Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya last week filed a cease-and-desist order to Zuffa Boxing and others for negotiating a Garcia title defense versus Conor Benn without Golden Boy involvement.

And Gomez indicated Golden Boy and its unbeaten WBC interim junior middleweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jnr are in communication.

“We’re hoping to work something out,” Gomez said of making a fight this year for Ortiz, who has a July arbitration hearing that could prompt a split with the promoter.