Valdez stops Velez in 10!
Former WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (28-0, 22KOs) headed into his fight with experienced veteran Jayson Velez (29-7-1, 21KOs) knowing that if victorious, his next fight would come against WBC junior lightweight champion Miguel Berchelt (37-1, 33KOs).
The two fighters fought the first few rounds pretty evenly. Velez would be the fighter coming forward throwing combinations trying to impose his will. Conversely, it was the normally aggressive Valdez who would elect to play it safe. He would wait and look to counter with his powerful left hook that missed the mark often.
Round five would be huge for Valdez. He connected a big left hook late in the round to put Velez on the canvas. The veteran would rise up showing that he had fight still left in him.
The action continued to be lackluster heading into the tenth and final. A performance that left much to be desired from Valdez needed to be salvaged someway. To his credit, the former champion managed to land another left hook that yet again sat his opponent down on his backside. Sensing the end was near, Valdez went on the attack, landing an overhand right that sent Velez reeling down into the ropes. Referee Tony Weeks had seen enough and called a halt to the action.
While this wasn’t his best performance, Valdez got the job done and now will presumably move on to a showdown with the hard-hitting Miguel Berchelt later this year. He’ll have to be much better if he wants to become a two-division world champion.
By: Jerrell Fletcher
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