Results: Oscar Valdez KOs Miguel Berchelt
Oscar Valdez and Miguel Berchelt
promised an all-Mexican clash for the ages. They delivered. Valdez knocked
out Berchelt with a left hook at the end of the 10th round to win the WBC
super featherweight world title from Berchelt, who was making his seventh
title defense.
The hook crumpled Berchelt, who fell face-first to the canvas, and referee
Russell Mora immediately waved off the fight.
Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs) was badly hurt and knocked down in the fourth, but
steadied himself and continued to pressure Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) throughout
the middle rounds. Valdez turned the tide once again in the ninth with a
knockdown, and with the 10th round in hand, he lowered the boom.
Valdez said, “There’s nothing better in life than proving people wrong. I
have a list of people who doubted me. My idols doubted me. Boxing analysts
doubted me. They said Berchelt was going to knock me out. I have a message
to everybody: Don’t’ let anyone tell you what you can and can’t do.
“I want to take this belt home, and I’m happy for that. Any champion out
there… I heard Shakur Stevenson wants to fight. Let’s do it. I just want to
keep on fighting and give the fans what they want.”
*Flores Dominates Velez in Co-Feature*
It’s time to crown Stockton’s King. Gabriel Flores Jr., the junior
lightweight sensation from Stockton, California, made an emphatic
statement, knocking out former world title challenger Jayson Velez in the
sixth round. Flores (20-0, 7 KOs) knocked down Velez twice in the sixth,
punctuating the victory with a left hook.
Flores (20-0, 7 KOs) became only the second man to stop Velez (29-8-1, 20
KOs), who was knocked out in 10 rounds by Oscar Valdez last July.
Flores said, “I could’ve done it earlier. I was playing with my food.
{Trainer Gabriel Flores Sr.} told me I just gotta press it. Nothing was
really going on those first five rounds, to be honest. I was just feeling
him out.
“I would love to get the winner of Jamel Herring and Carl Frampton. I’d
love that. I’m going to keep on working, and my performances are going to
get better and better.”
*In undercard bouts: Middleweight: **Esquiva Falcao (28-0, 20 KOs)
TKO4 Artur Akavov (20-4, 9 KOs). *Falcao, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist
from Brazil, picked up the most significant win of his career with a
one-sided drubbing of two-time middleweight world title challenger Akavov.
After a rough opening round, Falcao was in command until Akavov’s corner
stopped the fight following the fourth round. All three judges had Falcao
ahead 39-37 at the time of the stoppage.
*Jr. Welterweight: **Elvis Rodriguez (11-0-1, 10 KOs) UD 8 Luis Alberto
Veron (18-3-2, 9 KOs). Scores: 79-73 2x and 78-74. *Rodriguez made his name
as an explosive puncher, but showed his maturity and boxing acumen against
Veron, a former WBO Latino belt-holder who has never been stopped as a pro.
Rodriguez stunned Veron several times with right hooks, but the Argentine
veteran was able to withstand the onslaught.
Rodriguez said, “This was my first scheduled eight-round fight, and I
actually think I got a lot of good experience. Each fight, you acquire
something different, and for this fight, I think the experience of going
the rounds actually helped me out.
“It’s a great experience going the full eight rounds. It’s back to the gym
to work on several things, specifically I know I needed to let my hands go
a little more. When I did do that, I was able to hurt him. But in the end,
I think it was a great experience. He’s a natural welterweight. He’s never
been stopped, so I knew it would be a tough challenge, but you know I will
go back to the gym and work harder to continue to grow in this sport.”
*Welterweight: **Xander Zayas (7-0, 1KO) UD 6 James Martin (6-2, 0 KOs).
Scores: 60-54 3x. *The 18-year-old Zayas went past the first round for the
first time in nearly a year, outboxing the Philadelphia native Martin en
route to the shutout victory.
Zayas said, “As a young fighter, you need these types of fights. I haven’t
been out of the first round in nearly a year, so for me to get six round
in, that was important.”
*Middleweight: **Javier Martinez (3-0, 1 KO) TKO 1 Billy Wagner (3-2, 1
KO), 1:51. *Martinez, a southpaw from Milwaukee, unloaded on Wagner,
stunning the Montana native early in the first round with a right hook. The
one-way traffic was stopped shortly thereafter, and Martinez added a ‘1’ to
the knockout column.
*Jr. Welterweight: **Omar Rosario (3-0, 1 KO) KO 2 Uriel Villanueva (1-1),
2:38. *Former Puerto Rican amateur superstar Rosario notched the first
stoppage win of his career, as two knockdowns in the second round prompted
referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight.
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*Event Name: Miguel Berchelt vs. Oscar Valdez – Fight Night*
*Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021*
*Link to Images on Getty: CLICK HERE
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