Mexican Champion Oscar Valdez Retains WBO Featherweight Title

Mexican champion Oscar Valdez successfully defended his WBO featherweight title for the first time at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of the undercard for Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas.

The Sonoran world champion had no trouble defeating Hiroshige Osawa from Japan, who is ranked number one in the international rankings of the WBO. Valdez dominated the fight from the beginning.

"He is the toughest opponent I have faced in my career, without a doubt. He is a strong and difficult fighter, that's why I didn't go all out because I had to be very careful. I am happy to have retained my title," said the Mexican champion and former Olympian.

In the first round, both fighters studied each other for three minutes, but Valdez managed to land the better punches with well-calculated combinations.

Knowing that he had the best punching power, Valdez Fierro began to showcase his speed and power in the second round, cornering his opponent several times and landing the best punches, causing damage on several occasions without finishing him off.

In the fourth round, more settled and experimenting with combinations, Valdez Fierro stepped on the gas and, displaying his speed and power, knocked down a surprised Osawa with a left hook, leaving him seated in the center of the ring.

Injured and unsure of his whereabouts, as he looked from one corner to another, the Japanese challenger got up to hear the protection count and signaled that he was in good condition to continue.

As soon as referee Vick Drakulich resumed the action, the fighter from Ciudad Obregón came out with power to finish him off, causing the Japanese fighter to cover up without showing much resistance, but the bell came to his aid to postpone the result.

The next three rounds were just work for the Mexican, who continued to land powerful body punches that the Japanese fighter absorbed almost submissively.

The ending came in the seventh round, while Valdez measured Osawa. A straight to the face to create space once again hurt his opponent, and that was the opportunity Valdez had been waiting for. He launched himself with force to finish him off, forcing Drakulich to stop the action at one minute and 15 seconds of the round.

With this victory, Valdez retained the title he won four months ago by defeating Argentine Matías Rueda, and also maintained his undefeated record and increased his knockout streak since last September.

Valdez's record now stands at 21-0, while the Japanese fighter, who made his debut in America, suffered his third defeat in 38 fights.