Shakur Stevenson handled Oscar Valdez just as easily pick apart the previously undefeated fighter during their 130-pound title unification fight before an announced crowd of 10,102 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
A consistently sharp Stevenson, who closed as an 8-1 favorite at MGM Grand’s sportsbook, recorded a knockdown during the sixth round and overwhelmingly won a unanimous decision in a main event ESPN televised.
Judges Tim Cheatham (117-110), Dave Moretti (118-109) and David Sutherland (118-109) scored Stevenson a convincing winner. CompuBox’s unofficial statistics also reflected a relatively easy victory for Stevenson, whom CompuBox credited for landing 79 more punches than Valdez (189-of-580 to 110-of-508).
WBO champion Shakur Stevenson handed Oscar Valdez the first loss of his career on Saturday night in a junior lightweight championship bout. pic.twitter.com/CfsLsWEotD
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 1, 2022
Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) became a unified 130-pound champion in just his 18th professional fight. He defended the WBO junior lightweight title he won when he stopped Jamel Herring in the 10th round of his previous fight and captured the WBC super featherweight title from Mexico’s Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs).
“Oscar Valdez is a tough champion,” Stevenson told ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna in the ring. “I don’t take nothing away from him. He’s got good power. He’s rough, rugged, and he’ll be a champion after this.”
“I mean, he has great boxing skills,” Valdez said. “That’s just it. He was just the better fighter this night. That’s just it. … Like I said, he’s a great fighter. Speed’s there, his power’s there. He was just a better fighter tonight, like I said. You know, he, overall, a great, great fighter.”
