Coming into his fight with Miguel Berchelt, Oscar Valdez said he believed he would emerge as the winner in their battle for the WBC junior lightweight championship because Berchelt hadn't been through the same level of adversity in his professional career. In the ring, it would prove that Valdez's skill was even more important than those intangibles as he outboxed Berchelt from the opening bell before scoring an instant Knockout of the Year contender.
With the fight expected to be a war between the two Mexican sluggers, Berchelt (37-2, 33 KO) entered the ring as a considerable favorite, having rattled off win after win and establishing himself as a budding star. Valdez (29-0, 23 KO) had vacated his WBO featherweight title to step up in weight and try to become a two-division champion, something he would accomplish on the strength of speed, crafty defense and a thudding left hook.
Those tools really began to show in Round 4, when the hooks began to take Berchelt's legs. Valdez remained patient, continuing to pick spots and thud away as openings were presented. Eventually, Valdez landed another left hook that sent Berchelt stumbling into the ropes, initiating a standing eight count for the technical knockdown.
Berchelt slowly recovered and battled his way back into the fight over the fifth and sixth round, forcing the kind of war most observers expected before the fighters set foot in the ring in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Valdez never stopped firing back, working his jab and then cracking with the left hook. But it was a heavy uppercut in Round 9 that put Berchelt back on the canvas. He was able to rise and battle through the rest of the round, but was warned by the referee between rounds that he would not allow him to take excess punishment.
It wasn't the accumulation of shots that would lead to the end of the fight, however, as Valdez slipped a series of Berchelt shots before unleashing a gigantic left hook that sent Berchelt crashing to the canvas face-first.
Valdez had the champ Berchelt hurt BAD but he was saved by the bell 😳 pic.twitter.com/WX54dMgp1X
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) February 21, 2021