Oscar Valdez was limited to a ringside view on a night he was meant to be the main attraction.

It gave him the chance to further scout countryman Emanuel Navarrete, who overcame his first career knockdown to stop Australia’s Liam Wilson in the ninth round of their February 4 slugfest at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Navarrete left with the WBO junior lightweight title in tow, though along with more questions than answers on how long he can last at the top level of his third weight division.

At least, that was the view from the casual observer. Valdez (31-1, 23KOs) had a much different takeaway, one he will carry into the ring for their rescheduled August 12 ESPN headliner also from Desert Diamond Arena.

“I saw two things that night. That fight proved that anything can happen at any given moment,” Valdez told BoxingScene.com. “When it comes to Vaquero Navarrete, it can be an early night or it can be a very long night.

“I always try to look at the best that a fighter has. It doesn’t make sense to only focus on a fighter’s flaws. I want to see what I have to overcome. What I saw was a fighter that you can never count out.

Navarrete (37-1, 31KOs) had never been down through 37 pro fights, which included ten with a major title at stake. That changed late in round four, when Navarrete was clipped by Wilson’s self-proclaimed ‘left hook from hell.’ It resulted in his first career trip to the canvas, along with extra time allotted to reinsert his dislodged mouthpiece.

Momentum briefly shifted back in favor of the 28-year-old from San Juan Zitlaltepec, Mexico. Wilson (11-2, 7KOs) remained in the fight and landed telling blows in the ensuing rounds before Navarrete stormed ahead in round nine and never looked back. He ultimately closed the show with a knockdown and an ensuing volley to force the stoppage.

“He was on the verge of being stopped when he got dropped. That fight proved to me what a dangerous fighter he is,” recalled Valdez, a two-time Olympian for Mexico and former two-division titlist. “Us Mexican fighters come with a lot of heart. He never gave up from beginning to end. He has a lot of heart and that big punch. He wound up knocking him out late.

“That’s what I saw that night. It told me that it doesn’t matter if I’m up three rounds to none. He’s got that power to end the fight whenever he wants. You can never count him out. I know I have to be on my A-game from round one until the final bell.”  

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