Although he hates to admit it, the first loss of his well-established career stung Oscar Valdez.
Yet even as the Mexican star was forced to relinquish his world title to Shakur Stevenson earlier this year, the 31-year-old is doing his best to bury that unfortunate memory. With five months of inactivity passing, Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) is hopeful that he will be given a chance to return to the win column sooner rather than later.
“Hopefully soon,” Valdez told a group of reporters when asked when he will return to the ring.
As BoxingScene.com recently reported, Valdez was poised to return to the ring on November 12, but his next fight was pushed back to January after the former champion suffered a non-boxing-related injury.
Before falling woefully short against Stevenson, Valdez’s name was sticking out toward the top of the 130-pound division. However, despite earning a resounding victory over Miguel Berchelt, followed by a unanimous decision victory over Robson Conceicao, Valdez was unable to match Stevenson’s wits for wits.
But, even though Valdez is currently in a bad mood from the loss, not only is he yearning to get back in the ring, but more than anything, the 31-year-old has his eyes set on a run for a third world title.
“I want to go after that world title again.”
Currently, with golden trinkets tied up and down his 126- to 130-pound championship mantle, Valdez believes that because of his size, he’s a bit stuck in his career. Currently, the WBC and WBO titles at 130 are vacant, with Hector Garcia of the Dominican Republic holding the WBA and Joe Cordina of the United Kingdom holding the WBO. Considering his somewhat diminutive frame, Valdez doesn’t envision a scenario in which he has a legitimate shot at regaining his champion status in another division. Instead, the Mexican native will have to climb back up the 130-pound ladder.
“It is not possible for me to go down to featherweight, 126. And 135, they are too big for me. I’m too small for that division right now.”
