WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) weighed in at 130 pounds on Thursday for his title defense against #15 WBC Robson Conceicao (16-0, 8 KOs) for their fight this Friday, September 10th on ESPN+ at the Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.
The start time for Friday’s Top Rank Boxing card is at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.
The three-time Brazilian Olympian Conceicao weighed in at 129.6 lbs and looked in superb shape.
Valdez, 30, wants to avenge his loss to Conceicao from way back in 2009 when he lost a narrow 6-5 decision at the Pan American Championships in Mexico City, Mexico.
It still bothers Valdez even now that he lost to Conceicao, which is likely the whole reason for him choosing the Brazilian fighter as his opponent.
Whether Valdez will receive credit if he beats Conceicao is debatable, and it will likely depend on how boxing fans feel about his recent troubles.
With this fight being a voluntary defense, Valdez could have picked anyone, but he wanted the 32-year-old Conceicao. It should be an excellent fight, and you can’t rule out a possible upset if Conceicao brings his A-game on Friday.
At times, Valdez has looked vulnerable during his career when facing fighters with a good engine. Running out of gas is always a risk for Valdez, but lately, he hasn’t had that problem.
Valdez recently picked up the biggest win of his career with a 10th round knockout of the highly talented WBC 130-lb champion Miguel Berchelt on February 20th in Las Vegas.
Oscar knocked down the weight-drained-looking Berchelt in rounds four, nine, and ten before the fight was stopped. Going into that contest, Berchelt was thought to be virtually unstoppable, but Valdez dominated him from start to finish in a fight that was never remotely competitive.
On that night, Valdez would have likely beaten anyone in the 130-lb division, as he looked great. If Valdez can duplicate that performance on Friday night, Conceicao won’t have a chance. Valdez is on another level when he’s firing on all eight cylinders.
At 30, Valdez is still improving, thanks to the help of his great trainer Eddy Reynoso, who is one of the best in the business at molding fighters.
Super featherweight Gabriel Flores Jr. (20-0, 7 KOs) weighed in at 129.6 lbs for his 10 round fight against Luis Alberto Lopez (22-2, 12 KOs). For his part, Lopez weighed in at 128.4 lbs.
Other weights on Friday’s Valdez vs. Conceicao card:
-Junto Nakatani 111.4 lbs vs. Angel Acosta 112
-Xander Zayas 151.8 vs. Jose Luis Sanchez 151.6
-Lindolfo Delgado 141.6 vs. Miguel Zamudio 140.8
-René Telléz Girón 132.2 vs. Eduardo Garza 132.6
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Omar Aguílar 142.6 vs. Carlos Manuel Portillo 141.6