Oscar Valdez likely to make 130-pound debut on November 30

With Jose Ramirez out of commission while recovering from hand surgery, Top Rank is looking to slot former featherweight champion Oscar Valdez into the former’s former Nov. 30 ESPN+ main event. The card “could” also feature the previously announced featherweight battle between Carl Frampton and Isaac Dogboe, which was already penciled in for that date.

Valdez (26-0, 20 KO) vacated his WBO title last month after six successful defenses, citing increasing difficulty with making the 126-pound limit. Like Oleksandr Usyk before him, the sanctioning body has already installed him as the No. 1 contender in his new weight class. Champion Jamel Herring is presently booked to fight mandatory challenger Lamont Roach Jr on Nov. 9, so the timing works out nicely if Valdez elects to go for a title in his second fight at the weight.

We’ll keep an ear open for details on Valdez’s opponent and the location. I’d say this is enough info to get excited, though; Valdez and Dogboe on the same card means we’re in for some quality violence.