Shakur Stevenson, Oscar Valdez Set for Title Fight on April 30

Mar 15, 2022
A. J. Riot

Shakur Stevenson and Oscar Valdez are just over a month and a half away from their April 30 title fight in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, sponsored by Top Rank Boxing.

The betting public is getting a banger of about between the two and is sure to be active in the market for the fight. Shakur Stevenson is listed at -400 to win the fight, whereas Oscar Valdez is listed at +275 as per BetMGM.

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“Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson are the world’s best junior lightweights. The fans and the fighters demanded this matchup, and we are proud to deliver it live on ESPN for no extra charge,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said in February. “The winner becomes a superstar, and I know both men will rise to challenge.”

The fight will be for the super featherweight title and will serve as a unification bout.

Shakur Stevenson has been clamoring for the opportunity to fight the veteran Valdez, and now he is finally getting his shot. 

“I have been chasing this fight for nearly three years since we were both at featherweight,” Stevenson said in a press release. “On April 30, I’m going to show him and the world why he ducked me all this time. I’m the best young fighter in the world, and I will become unified champion.”

24-year-old Stevenson was recently crowned as the WBO junior lightweight champion and will be taking on a challenger in Valdez that has been anointed world champion in two different weight classes— WBO featherweight from 2016-19 and WBC super featherweight from 2019 to the present day.

Stevenson, a native of Newark, New Jersey, is best known for earning a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, his next fight could take his profile and notoriety to a much higher standing.

The younger fighter earned his current title by stopping Jamal Herring via TKO in the 10th round last October, adding to his 2019 WBO featherweight title. His next challenge against Valdez has been one that he has been pleading for since both men were fighting in the featherweight division. A Stevenson win would make him the first unified world junior lightweight champion since Marco Antonio Barrera in 2005.

Valdez is no slouch, though; the 31-year-old Mexican fighter has a career record of 30 wins and zero losses with 23 knockouts. He is known for his aggressive, hard-hitting style and has been on the scene since he qualified for the 2008 Olympics at 17 years old.

Since moving up in weight class, the southpaw champion is 4-0 at 130 pounds and has already successfully defended his title against Robson Conceição, winning by unanimous decision last September. 

Stevenson’s trash talk has not fallen on soft ears; Valdez is eager to prove a point in his next fight.

“I want to make it clear that I am the best 130-pound fighter in the world,” Oscar Valdez said not too long ago. “We know Shakur Stevenson is very good at fighting, but he’s even better at social media. I’ll let my fists speak for themselves.”

Valdez topped the super featherweight division in 2021 by knocking out Miguel Berchelt in the 10th round to earn the WBC super featherweight title. He has a substantial advantage in experience over his younger challenger, but he is not getting an easy deal. 

April 30 was already earmarked by boxing fans around the world for an entirely different reason; at the same time the two will be preparing for their title bout in Vegas, Amanda Serrano, and Katie Taylor will be headlining the main event in Madison Square Garden, the first female duo to ever top a professional fighting card at MSG.

Taylor is a two-weight world champion and undisputed lightweight champion and ranks number-one in the pound-for-pound world rankings. She is also one of only eight boxers, male or female, to hold the four major world titles in boxing: WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO.

Serrano is the unified featherweight world champion and has 42 wins, one draw, and one loss in her professional career. She has held nine major world titles in seven weight classes; a female boxer won the most championships in different weight classes.

Stevenson voiced support of Serrano and Taylor’s fight in a tweet that asked for the fights to start at different times to appease both audiences.

“Tbh, I hope they can stagger the times for my unification with Valdez and Serrano vs. Taylor for April 30,” tweeted Stevenson at the start of February. “Let the ladies shine too, and the fans watch both fights.”

DAZN, who will be streaming the Stevenson-Valdez fight, promised to start the main events at different times to allow fans to tune into both matches.

 

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