Oscar Valdez weighed in at 129.7 lbs, while Liam Wilson scaled in at 129.6 during Thursday’s weigh-in for their 12-round headliner fight for the WBO interim super featherweight title this Friday, March 29th at the Diamond Desert Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The event will be shown live on ESPN+. The start time is at 6:10 p.m. ET / 3:10 p.m. PT.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Winner Likely to Capture Full WBO Championship
There’s a strong possibility the winner of the Valdez vs. Wilson fight will be elevated to full WBO super featherweight champion if the current champ, Emanuel Navarrete, defeats Denys Berinchyk on May 18th in their fight for the vacant World Boxing Organization lightweight title in San Diego.
Complete Weights for ESPN+
Oscar Valdez 129.7 vs. Liam Wilson 129.6
Seniesa Estrada 104.2 vs. Yokasta Valle 104.3
Raymond Muratalla 137.1 vs. Xolisani Ndongeni 137.1
Lindolfo Delgado 140.7 vs. Carlos Sanchez 140.4
Richard Torrez Jr. 236.6 vs. Don Haynesworth 276.5
Sergio Rodriguez 163.9 vs. Sanny Duversonne 163.7
Emiliano Fernando Vargas 136.5 lbs vs. Nelson Hampton 136
Alan Garcia 135.9 vs. Gonzalo Fuenzalida 137.9
Art Barrera Jr. 141.6 vs. Keven Soto 139.7
Ricardo Ruvalcaba 140.9 vs. Avner Hernandez Molina 140.6
Navarrete will be given the option of keeping the WBO 135-lb belt or returning to 130 to reclaim his belt in that weight class. Most people believe Navarrete will stay at lightweight where the money is better. Valdez would move up to 135 if he had more size and power, but he’s too small for that division.
Valdez Seeking Rebound, Wilson Chasing Upset
The former two-division world champion Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) will be fighting for the first time since losing to Emanuel Navarrete. He was totally dominated by Navarrete in that loss and not even slightly competitive.
For those who said the fight was exciting, they must have remembered another contest because this one was a mismatch. Navarrete was too big for Valdez and looked like a welterweight fighting a featherweight. Due to the size difference, it wasn’t a fair fight.
The Australian Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) has won his last two fights against no-name opposition since losing to Navarrete by a ninth-round knockout last year in a competitive fight. Wilson did well initially, hurting Navarrete before gassing out and getting stopped.
