Oscar Valdez has had a long, glittering career. He is a two-weight world champion and is passionate about high-profile fights.
But if he loses to Liam Wilson at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, he stays on. Sky Sports In the early hours of Saturday morning, Valdes may have just reached the end of the line.
“This fight is all or nothing for me,” Valdez said Sky Sports. “It’s a career-defining opportunity.
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Oscar Valdez swims with his pet alligator ‘Steve’
“Liam Wilson and I know that whoever wins this fight is one step closer to a world title fight. That makes it so important.”
Mexico remains enthusiastic. “I feel that if Oscar Valdez retires today, Oscar Valdez has achieved nothing in boxing,” he said.
“There are so many great fighters and I always admire the greats, Julio Cesar Chavez, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao. What did these guys do differently? They won everything. Done. Canelo Alvarez wins. Everything.
“These are fighters who went up to different divisions, unified and went unbeaten. There are so many things you can achieve in boxing and if you don’t aim high, what are we doing? I’ve always been a fighter. I am one who likes to aim high.
“I’m following my dream and my dream is to become one of the best.”
But Australia’s Liam Wilson can end all those hopes.
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Emanuel Navarrete retains his WBO super featherweight world title after an electric points win over Oscar Valdez in Arizona
“I was there when he fought Emmanuel Navarrete, he sent him to the canvas and I have nothing but respect for the man as a fighter and as a person,” Valdez said. “A lot of people thought he should have won the fight because he hurt Neurit so much.
“He’s a good fighter in general,” Valdez added. “But we’re going to do what it takes to win this.”
“We’re working on counter punches, we’re working on long combinations and being quick-witted fighters inside the ring.
“We’re just going to be smart fighters out there and take whatever it takes.”
Valdez has the potential for a highlight-reel finish. He hopes he can pull off Wilson in a similar fashion.
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Shakur Stevenson put on a convincing performance over Oscar Valdez to become the joint junior lightweight champion
“We don’t rely on one-hit knockouts. We can do that. That’s a big mistake in boxing as a professional. You can’t always look for a knockout. It’s always like trying to hit a home run. Just have to wait for it,” he said.
But he believes it was a mistake he made in his last fight against Mexican rival Navarrete when Valdes suffered another career loss.
“I was looking for the knockout because my home fans were there, my people were there to watch me and I wanted to give them a great knockout,” he explained.
“I lost a bit of focus on the game plan and I think that was one of the main mistakes I made in my last fight, so if I could go back, I wouldn’t have looked at the knockout, it was a round. done.”
Valdez has proven himself throughout his career. He marks his gritty display when Scott overpowers Cog as a key moment. Valdes had to endure much of the fight with a broken jaw and came through victorious.
It is very difficult to convince Mexican boxing fans. You have speed, you have discipline, you have defense, you have all that but if you don’t have that final check – which is the fighter or the heart, the Mexican fight fans are them. You will not approve,” explained Valdez.
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Robson Conceicao looked to get off to a good start in Tucson but Oscar Valdez closed the gap after halfway.
“And after that fight I felt like I got the last check. Oscar Valdez has a heart. He is a warrior. Wherever I went, people called me a warrior. Guerrero.
“I was very happy because I always dreamed about it. I always dreamed of someone like Erik Morales or Marco Antonio Barrera as a fighter.
“I knew it was broken but I was so afraid of losing,” he recalled of the Quigg fight. “Just full of pain, but the pain is temporary… The mind is sometimes stronger than the pain.”
“It was very painful but the dream was even bigger.”
Watch Oscar Valdez vs Liam Wilson live on Sky Sports Main Event And Sky Sports Action Saturday morning at 1 o’clock.
