By his own admission, Oscar Valdez felt a little out of place fighting without fans in attendance on Tuesday.

That said, it’s something that the fighting pride of Nogales, Mexico is willing to live with if that’s what it takes to line up a mouthwatering showdown versus countryman Miguel Berchelt for his next fight.  

A shot at the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) junior lightweight titlist was at stake in Tuesday’s fight, from which Valdez (28-0, 22KOs) emerged victorious in a 10th round stoppage of Jayson Velez. Their ESPN-televised main event—which aired live from MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas—was his first bout in eight months, though just enough to shake out the rust and move forward with the biggest fight of his career.

“I don’t want another fight,” Valdez emphatically told BoxingScene.com. “I want to go straight to Berchelt. I don’t need a tune-up. I think about that world title every day.

“Ever since I was a little kid, every fight I remember was for the WBC title. When I was in school I would just draw pictures of myself with the WBC title. I dreamed about that when I was eight, nine years old. It’s time to live my dream.”

Valdez scored three knockdowns on the night, one in round five and two more in the final minute of the 10th round before referee Tony Weeks stopped the contest. The win was his second straight at junior lightweight after having spent more than three years as a WBO featherweight titlist.

It also comes more than three weeks after Berchelt (38-1, 34KOs) enjoyed an ESPN-headlining knockout of his own. The long-reigning 130-pound titlist from Merida, Mexico took a stay-busy non-title fight at lightweight, putting away countryman Eleazar Valenzuela in six rounds last June in Mexico City.

The separate showcase appearances came in lieu of a head-on collision, which was targeted for this past spring but scrapped due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Both stay-busy fights took place behind closed doors in accordance with health guidelines and social distancing measures.

It’s possible that the current global health crisis won’t clear up in time to bring fans back to venues in the near future. While it will make for a less enthusiastic atmosphere for a fight between two proud Mexican warriors, it’s also not a deal breaker.

“I’m not getting any younger. I’m 29 years old. I’m going in there and will give it a shot,” insists Valdez. “I know it’s not an easy fight to take. I don’t want an easy fight to become a world champion. I know a lot of people are doubting me. That’s OK. That’s just extra motivation. I want to surprise the critics. Dreams do come true and nobody’s invincible.

“So, I’m gonna go back to the gym, and keep on training. Fans or no fans, I want to fight him. It would be nice if fans could go. It’s a fight that the fans would really enjoy being present. But who knows when they can come back. Right now, it’s time to go for my dream and I’m excited.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox