LAS VEGAS – Many expected the WBC junior lightweight title fight between Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez on Saturday to be a back-and-forth fight between two Mexican fighters. The violence turned out to be mainly one-way street.
Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs), a former WBO featherweight title holder and a two-time Olympian, scored a significant setback against Berchelt (38-2, 34 KOs) in the MGM Grand, and shook him with a left hook in the final second of the 10th round in an immediate favorite for knockout of the year.
Valdez, who entered the fight as a plus-240 underdog, claimed the WBC title from Berchelt, taking the biggest win of his professional career.
The stunning walk-off shot may have eclipsed the fact that the much smaller Valdez dominated the fight. He scored knockdowns in the fourth and 10th rounds and was well ahead of all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the finish.
Judges had Valdez, who was born in Mexico but grew up in Arizona, leading 89-80, 88-81 and 87-82.
Berchelt, whose only other professional loss came via TKO in 2014, remained on his back on the canvas for several minutes, but was eventually able to sit and stand with help.
The left hook and jab were Valdez’s weapons of choice, as he played a highly skilled, brutal matador against Berchelt’s bull-like aggression. He had Berchelt out of his kind from the opening round, shooting in and out with the jab, then surprising him with the left hook over the top. Berchelt looked like he wanted to counter with his signature strength, but he never looked comfortable with Valdez’s skill and speed.
In the third lap, Berchelt was more or less chasing Valdez around the ring. The third lap ended when Berchelt ran after him and jumped forward with shots.
Although it was not the strategy Berchelt came out with, he did have its moments. He scored with power shots to Valdez’s body, and it looked like he would turn the tide in the seventh as Valdez repeatedly tied him in clinches to slow the pace.
But in the eighth, Valdez got back to his effective jabbing work and caused Berchelt to miss out on the ropes.
Round 10 was brilliant for Valdez as he opened with combinations and let the referee take a close look at Berchelt. The walk-off left hook turned out to be a fitting ending.
According to CompuBox, Valdez beat Berchelt 149-99 in total punches and 103-64 in power punch.
The win, which is Valdez’s third consecutive 130-pound appearance, could spark a junior lightweight title fight between Top Rank’s Valdez and Shakur Stevenson (15-0, 8 KOs), who was in the ‘bubble’ on Saturday and expressed interest in taking over Valdez. Top-tier president Todd DuBoef said he would enjoy taking on a fight between the two undefeated junior lightweights.