WBO featherweight world champion ÓSCAR VALDEZ, the man who swims with a fully-grown pet alligator, will begin the third year of his championship reign by defending his title against former World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight world champion and current No. 2 world-rated featherweight contender SCOTT QUIGG. For Valdez (23-0, 19 KOs), of Nogales, Mexico, this will be his fourth title defense since winning it in 2016. Quigg (34-1-2, 25 KOs), of Lancashire, England, will be making his U.S. debut. The Valdez vs. Quigg world championship fight will take place Saturday, March 10, under the stars at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. It will be televised live and exclusively at 10:30 p.m. EST on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN App. Additional fights on the live telecast will be announced shortly.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Matchroom Boxing, tickets go on sale Today! Wednesday, January 17, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Priced at $206, $104, $53 and 27.50, including facility fees, they can be purchased online at AXS.com, by phone at (888) 9AXS-TIX, or by visiting the StubHub Center box office.
The all-action undercard will feature undefeated WBC Continental Americas super featherweight champion Andy Vences (20-0, 12 KOs), of San Jose, Calif; top-three world-rated junior welterweight contender Alex Saucedo (26-0, 16 KOs), of Oklahoma City; 2016 U.S. Olympian and three-time U.S. Amateur Champion Mikaela Mayer (3-0, 2 KOs), of Los Angeles; and 2012 Olympic silver medalist and middleweight contender Esquiva Falcäo (19-0, 13 KOs), of Vitoria, Brasil.
“I know that my March 10 world title defense against Scott Quigg will be a fun one for all the boxing fans because our styles combine perfectly to make a real war,” said Valdez. “As usual, on March 10, I will leave it all in the ring at StubHub Center, to show everyone that I’m one of the best featherweights in the world”
“This is a fight that I’m really looking forward to. It’s a great fight,” said Quigg. “I have a lot of respect for Oscar and his team. We’ve been in the gym together in the past, helping each other prepare for a fight. They are good people. I’ve been in training for four weeks already and now I’ve just linked up with Freddie Roach to begin the last eight weeks of camp. This is a great opportunity for me — making my U.S. debut on a great platform on ESPN — and I’m confident on March 10 I’ll become World champion again.”
“Oscar Valdez has passed every in-ring test with flying colors, but the biggest test of his professional career will take place on March 10 against Scott Quigg, who like Oscar, rarely leaves a fight in the hands of the judges. The fans watching at StubHub and live across ESPN’s platforms are in for an exciting night and a sensational card, which will be announced shortly,” said Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum,.
“I’m delighted to get this fight made – I feel it’s one of the best fights in the division right now,” said Quigg’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “Both guys like to come forward and throw aggressive combinations and I do not believe we will hear the final bell. What I do believe is that on March 10 Scott Quigg will become a two-weight World Champion in a fight of the year contender, live on ESPN”
“We’re very excited for the fight against Quigg. This fight will further showcase Oscar’s skills and will demonstrate that he is a star,” said Frank Espinoza, manager of Valdez. “Oscar is one of the best in the world and against Quigg he’ll prove it once again.”
Valdez, who represented México in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, was the first Mexican fighter to qualify for two Olympic games. He is considered one of the bright lights of the featherweight division and a new face for boxing’s next generation. He will be making the fourth defense of the world title he won on July 23, 2016 via a second-round knockout of undefeated No. 2 rated Matías Rueda. Rueda entered that fight having won his previous 10 bouts by stoppage. In his first defense, which took place, on November 5, 2016, Valdez blasted out No. 1 contender Hiroshige Osawa via a seventh-round TKO. On April 22, in his 2017 debut, his first pay-per-view event that featured him in the main event, Valdez went toe-to toe for 12 rounds with No. 1 contender Miguel Marriaga, winning a unanimous decision. Marriaga, a three-time world title challenger, went into that fight having won 15 of his previous 19 bouts by way of knockout. In his most recent fight, on September 22, he again went mano a mano in a 12-rounder that had the fans on their feet throughout the fight. This time Valdez won a unanimous decision over Genesis Servania, the No. 4 world-rated contender.
Quigg, who has fought all but once in his native England, is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach. After capturing the WBA interim super bantamweight world title in 2012 and making one successful title defense that same year, he was elevated to WBA super bantamweight world champion in 2013. Quigg successfully defended that world title six times, four of them by way of knockout during his three-year reign. He lost the title via a split decision to International Boxing Federation (IBF) championCarl Frampton in a 2016 title unification bout. Since that fight, Quigg has moved up to the featherweight division and won his past three fights, including a 12-round featherweight title elimination bout against Simion Viorel. Quigg is currently world-rated No. 2 by the IBF and No. 4 by the WBA.