Top Rank's current run in the "bubble" in Las Vegas concludes Tuesday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) with one of their best cards to date. In the main event, Oscar Valdez takes on Jayson Velez in a junior lightweight fight that serves as the final get-right fight for Valdez before he takes on WBC champ Miguel Berchelt.
Valdez (27-0, 21 KO) is a former WBO champion at featherweight -- a title he successfully defended six times -- and historically is an all-action brawler, willing to take a shot to give one in return. Though, in recent fights, he has been trying to slip into the role of boxer rather than brawler, a decision largely driven by a brutal war with Scott Quigg in March 2018 that saw Valdez lose teeth and suffer a broken jaw.
Transitioning to slick boxing has not been easy for Valdez, however. That was evident in his most recent fight, as late replacement opponent Adam Lopez cracked Valdez and dropped him to the canvas early in their clash, a knockdown that came as Valdez was trying to slickly duck and dodge punches while standing flat-footed in punching range. Flipping the switch back to action-first, Valdez was able to roar back before scoring a stoppage in the seventh round of his move to junior lightweight.
Velez (29-6-1, 21 KO) is a capable boxer and formerly was considered a legit Puerto Rican prospect. He's been in with plenty of legitimate opponents but never truly broke through. He is, to put it simply, "an opponent" at this point in his career, but one with enough skills to score an upset if Valdez enters the ring unprepared.
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