Mexican warrior Miguel Berchelt – rarely takes a backward step, loves to fight, never in a bad one. Mexican warrior Oscar Valdez: all of the above. Match them together, as reigning WBC super featherweight champ Berchelt says is soon to be the case, the fight currently “close,” and we could be treated to the next great all-Mexican slugfest. Berchelt, who took to Facebook Live to speak with members of the media, said a fight between he and Valdez will be “a war that makes one of us transcend and it’s Mexico versus Mexico.”
Let’s hope this one is indeed signed, sealed and delivered as soon as Berchelt thinks it will be. Berchelt, 37-1(33) has been WBC 130 pound ruler since January of 2017 and he has made six retentions. The 28-year-old from Cancun has thrilled fans with a number of all-action battles (see his title-winning fight with Francisco Vargas, as well as Berchelt’s great fights with Takashi Miura and Miguel Roman). It’s amazing that Berchelt is not a far bigger star than he is – as he deserves to be.
Maybe a win over Valdez, if he can get one, will sufficiently raise Berchelt’s star power. Valdez, 27-0(21) and like Berchelt signed with Top Rank, is a former WBO featherweight champ who had to move up in weight as making 126 was “killing me.” The 29-year-old from Sonora moved up after beating Jason Sanchez last June, scoring a TKO over Adam Lopez in his last fight, in November. Like Berchelt, Valdez simply loves to fight.
It seems an easy enough fight to make and maybe if this one does get done, we will get the next Barrera-Morales. Or the next Berchelt-Vargas. Put two fine Mexican fighting machines in the same ring and it can turn out to be a fight fan’s dream come true. Again, after the whole coronavirus issue is dealt with, let’s hope a Berchelt-Valdez match-up gets a slot on the remainder of 2020’s boxing schedule. Maybe we could even get the next great Mexican trilogy.
