Oscar Valdez stopped Liam Wilson in the seventh round to win the interim WBO super featherweight title tonight in Glendale, Ariz., live on ESPN+.
The interim belt could be elevated to full title status as soon as May, when current WBO 130 lb titleholder Emanuel Navarrete fights for the WBO’s lightweight title. Win or lose in that fight, if Navarrete vacates, then Valdez (32-2, 24 KO) will be promoted.
Valdez, 33, was just the better fighter here, though it wasn’t a total blowout or anything. Wilson (13-3, 7 KO) was competitive, but Valdez was just that bit sharper and looked to have the deeper skill set, and when he buzzed the Aussie in the seventh round, he just kept unloading, though with thought behind the onslaught, until the referee reasonably stepped in to stop the fight.
“Guess I’m not (finished),” Valdez said. “I want to be an example — in boxing, you might lose, in life you might lose, but it’s an obligation to come back stronger. If I fall on the canvas, I’m going to get up and continue my path and my dream. That means anybody can do it.”
“(This win) is up there, it means a lot. I proved a lot of people wrong again. I refuse to believe (I’m done),” he added.
Estrada goes undisputed
In the co-feature, Seniesa Estrada became the undisputed champion at 105 lbs, beating Yokasta Valle by unanimous decision in a competitive, entertaining fight scored 97-93 by each judge.
Valle, who had the appearance of being the aggressor for much of the fight, had the crowd support after, but that’s natural. Bad Left Hook did score the fight even, 95-95, on two separate unofficial cards.
Estrada improves to 26-0 (9 KO), while Valle falls to 30-3 (9 KO). The most intriguing fight for either of them would be a rematch, because they’re so clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the competition at 105 right now, but Estrada could also look to move back up to 108, where she’s won a world title before, perhaps to fight Yesica Nery or Evelin Bermudez.
CompuBox had this crazy close statistically, with Estrada landing 102 of 412 (25%) total punches to Valle’s 99 of 435 (23%). The power punches were even closer, with Estrada landing 86 of 259 (33%) and Valle tallying 85 of 267 (32%).
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