Oscar Valdez feels assured that he’ll avenge his loss to WBC tremendous featherweight champion Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete of their rematch in 15 days on December seventh on the Footprint Heart in Phoenix, Arizona. The cardboard can be proven dwell on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
The previous two-division world champion Valdez (32, 2, 24 KOs) feels he fought a poor combat when he misplaced to (38-2-1, 31 KOs) by a large 12-round unanimous resolution final 12 months on August 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. Valdez, 33, says he wasn’t following his coach’s recreation plan and was searching for a one-punch knockout.
Overcoming The Dimension
It seemed just like the 5’7″ Navarrete was too huge for the 5’5″ Valdez and utilizing his lengthy six-inch attain benefit to dominate the smaller fighter. If Valdez had higher energy, he might have received, however he was out-sized and out-gunned by Navarrete. That’s most likely not going to vary within the rematch, regardless of how good the sport plan is.
Navarrete vs. Valdez Punch Stats
– Emanuel Navarrete: 279 of 1024 photographs for 27.2%
– Oscar Valdez: 141 of 493 punches for 28.6%
With the sort of quantity Navarrete had, Valdez by no means stood an opportunity as a result of he couldn’t match that output, and he received’t within the rematch. He’s not constructed for that. The one guys that may beat Navarrete are the slick fighters like Denys Berinchyk or ones with huge energy like Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
Valdez isn’t the one one seeking to avenge a loss on December seventh. Two-time Cuban Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) will problem WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs) in a rematch of their combat final 12 months on December ninth, 2023.
Robeisy misplaced a 12-round majority resolution to the 6’1″ and gave up his WBO belt. Ramirez-Espinoza can be combating within the chief help bout on December seventh.
Is Valdez Actually a Completely different Fighter?
“I’m going to beat him as a result of I’m a greater fighter, and I’ve completely different types in my arsenal,” mentioned Oscar Valdez to Fighthype about why he’s going to defeat Emanuel Navarrete on December seventh.
“My recreation plan was off. We had recreation plan, however I left it as a result of I used to be searching for that one shot,” mentioned Valdez about why he misplaced to Navarrete final 12 months. “The followers have been there, it was loud, and I needed to go for that one-shot knockout. It didn’t work, particularly with a fighter like “El Vaquero” Navarrete.
“So, going again and searching on the combat, I say, I made a variety of errors. So, I practice daily to develop into higher, a wiser fighter contained in the ring.”
Valdez is coming off a seventh-round knockout win over Liam Wilson on March twenty ninth in Glendale, Arizona. It was win for Valdez, nevertheless it wasn’t a man on Navarrete’s stage. Certainly, Wilson had already been knocked out by Navarrete on March third, 2023.
If Valdez loses the rematch with Navarrete, he ought to contemplate dropping again right down to 126 kilos as a result of he’s too small to combat on this weight class at 130.
We noticed that in Valdez’s loss in opposition to the 5’8″ Shakur Stevenson on April 30, 2022, in a one-sided 12-round unanimous resolution defeat. Shakur seemed enormous compared to Valdez. It was a light-weight in opposition to a featherweight as a result of Valdez was a lot too small.
Valdez Studying from Errors
“Once I fought Shakur, I used to be 100% prepared for that combat, and I didn’t do nothing to Shakur. So, so far as the El Vaquero combat, I do know I’m a greater fighter. I do know I can win this combat. It’s simply that I misplaced the sport plan,” mentioned Valdez. “Once I fell off, I misplaced focus. I made a number of rookie errors, and that’s what’s going to be completely different from this one: to be the smarter fighter.”
Valdez did every part proper in opposition to Navarrete, however he couldn’t make up for the scale, energy, and quantity. That’s not going to vary within the rematch.
“That’s what bothers me extra about this loss than after I fought Shakur Stevenson,” mentioned Valdez. “Lots of instances, it’s not about shedding. It’s about figuring out that you simply gave it your finest. In my final combat in opposition to El Vaquero, I do know I wasn’t the most effective I might be.”
“Once I have a look at all of the fighters at 130, the man to beat is El Vaquero. 135, why not sooner or later? I contemplate myself a small 130. Perhaps take a look at the waters sooner or later and see if my physique can adapt to that division,” mentioned Valdez about probably transferring as much as light-weight sooner or later.
