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Oscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson made weight today in Las Vegas, meaning their Saturday night main event on ESPN is on and official.
Valdez (30-0, 23 KO) will be defending the WBC junior lightweight title, with Stevenson (17-0, 9 KO) bringing the WBO belt to the fight. The winner gets both, of course, as well as the currently vacant Ring Magazine championship, with the victor being recognized at least in some spots as LINEAL!!! champion.
Valdez weighed in at 129.6 lbs, so a little under the limit. Stevenson was initially slightly over at 130.2, but stripped down and made the 130 without any real issue, didn’t need to take extra time or anything.
It’s a fight that has been years in the making, dating back to when Valdez held the WBO featherweight title and received a mandatory order to defend against Stevenson. Instead, Valdez vacated and moved up to 130 lbs in 2019.
The two now both have titles at 130 — and both won belts at 126 — and are both undefeated, considered the top two fighters in the division. This is the sort of fight we as fans ask to see all the time, the sort of thing we should see more often. It’s here.
Undercard
Top prospect Keyshawn Davis (4-0, 3 KO) will aim to impress again, as he takes on Esteban Sanchez (18-1, 8 KO), who has the record of a more experienced fighter but has mainly been in Tijuana club fights thus far in his career, so don’t be surprised if Davis torches him, as Keyshawn is truly a top, blue chip type of prospect.
Davis weighed in at 136.2 with Sanchez at 136.6 for their eight-round bout.
Middleweight Nico Ali Walsh (4-0, 3 KO) will also return, taking on Alejandro Ibarra (7-1, 2 KO) in a four-round bout to open the main card broadcast on ESPN (which will also still stream on ESPN+).
Ali Walsh, of course the grandson of Muhammad Ali, weighed in at 159.2, with Ibarra at 160.4. Their fight is set for four rounds.
Prelim weights
- Raymond Muratalla 134.8 vs Jeremy Hill 134
- Andres Cortes 131.8 vs Alexis del Bosque 131.6
- Troy Isley 157.4 vs Anthony Hannah 156.8
- Abdullah Mason 136.4 vs Luciano Ramos 137.8
- Antoine Cobb 143.6 vs Jaylan Phillips 142.4
Bad Left Hook will have full live coverage including round-by-round for Valdez vs Stevenson on Saturday, April 30, starting at 10:00 pm ET.
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