WBO Could Elevate Oscar Valdez vs Liam Wilson Winner
On March 30, the upcoming contest between Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23KO) and Liam Wilson (13-2, 7KO) is now a fight with high stakes. With the recent ruling of the WBO, the winner could become the new WBO junior lightweight champion.
The boxing news cycle is buzzing about how the WBO has placed the interim title on the line in the fight. The current champion, Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete, will face Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title on May 18. If Vaquero is victorious, then Valdez or Wilson could be elevated to full champion.
A POSSIBLE NEW CHAMPION ON THE HORIZON
In a released statement by the WBO, they outlined how things could play out depending on Vaquero’s decision to remain at lightweight.
“If Navarrete is successful in winning the vacant WBO Lightweight championship and determines to retain the WBO Lightweight championship, the WBO Jr. Lightweight Interim champion shall be elevated to Full Champion status.”
The Aussie stepped in as a late replacement to face Vaquero after Valdez pulled out due to an injury. He was unknown to the world of boxing, as many fans believed this would be an easy night for Navarrete. However, they were quickly proven wrong as the fight became an early candidate for Fight of the Year honors in 2023.
Valdez is also a former victim of the Mexican champion after suffering the second defeat of his career in 2023. He has openly admitted to taking the defeat extremely hard and needed some time off. Realizing the hunger to become a champion was still inside, he quickly jumped at the opportunity to get back into the ring.
In this author’s opinion, both fighters have an important question to answer. Valdez must show that he isn’t still a little shell-shocked from taking a bad beating. Wilson will need to raise his game to another level once again.
