Via Jack Tiernan: Oscar De La Hoya says Oscar Valdez will need to put pressure on Shakur Stevenson for a chance to beat the skilled defensive artist April 30 in their featherweight super unification match on ESPN at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
De La Hoya believes 130-lb WBO champion Shakur can be beaten, like any boxer, but will be under constant pressure from WBC champion Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs).
He feels that “conditions” will play a part in the outcome of the contest. With Valdez always imposing Stevenson and hitting him with shots that smaller enemies can’t hit him, something is up.
If Valdez is down and frustrated at not being able to reach his shots, it could be Shakur. He lost to pressure boxer Robeisy Ramirez at the 2016 Olympics.
Although Stevenson believed he was robbed, the fight was close, and Robeisy showed Shakur to be very vulnerable to pressure. Stevenson is an excellent boxer, but his ability to strike is also second to none.
If Valdez can pull off some of the same left hooks on 24-year-old Stevenson that he landed against Miguel Berchelt last year, he could knock him out.
De La Hoya says Valdez must pressure Shakur
“Another great fight. I forgot about that. Look, Shakur is an exceptional fighter. I think he has a lot of great attributes, his skills are amazing, and his reflexes are phenomenal,” said Oscar De La Hoya. Against TV Hub when asked about his thoughts on the fight between Shakur Stevenson and Oscar Valdez.
De La Hoya said: “Every fighter can be defeated if you find him, and if there is a fighter who can find someone, it is Oscar Valdez. “It was a good fight. I think air conditioning will play an important role.
“I think the pressure that Valdez could put on him or vice versa because Shakur Stevenson is a forward fighter. He’s bigger. So it was a great fight. We’ve got plenty of picks ahead of us; I really look forward to them.
“I think his will,” De La Hoya said of what Valdez will do for him against Shakur. “He has to put pressure on him and be very smart, very careful about how he does it.
“You can put a lot of pressure on the boxer without hitting the opponent tired. If he can do that and land the right combos and get Shakur Stevenson back, it could be a very interesting fight.
“Yes by itself. Heart is always dangerous if you’re skilled like Oscar Valdez. Skill, strength, heart, it’s a pretty dangerous combination. So both guys have full tables at the table. their hands and had great trainers in their corners. Yes, it was a great fight,” said De La Hoya.
We’ll see how well Stevenson can dodge pressure from Valdez on April 30. What Shakur couldn’t do was use his pullback style all night without getting booed off the MGM Grand.
During Shakur’s fight against Jeremiah Nakathila last June, he didn’t want to be in the pocket. Even when Nakathilia was using the blow, Shakur stepped back, and it was boring for the fans.
Top Rated promoter Bob Arum once raved about Guillermo Rigondeaux’s unpopular fighting style, but Shakur was worse.
At least with Rigondeaux, he has great power in his shots, especially the right hand.
Stevenson has no power, so it will make him difficult to track as he lasts all night using his safety-first fighting style.
Valdez didn’t fight with a momentum
“I haven’t seen him fight a cheerleader yet because when I was with him, who did he fight with? Berchelt, and obviously Berchelt is not one to move,” Ryan Garcia said of Oscar Valdez.
“I’ve seen him fight ‘Blunose’ Lopez, and he’s a sportsman but he’s not. He’s definitely not a guest.Ryan said when asked if he sees Shakur as a motivator.
“Maybe, it’s a possibility because Valdez has confusing shots. That’s the kind of fighting Eddy’s camp practiced, hard shots. Ryan talks about whether Valdez can hurt Stevenson.
“So he always had to use his Ps and Qs, which Shakur was very good at,” Ryan said.
