Oscar Valdez feels confident he will avenge his loss to WBC super featherweight champion Emanuel “El Vaquero” Navarrete in their rematch in 15 days on December 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The card will air live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10:30 pm ET/7:30 pm PT.
Former two-division world champion Valdez (32, 2, 24 KOs) felt he was fighting an unsatisfying fight when he lost (38-2-1, 31 KOs) via a 12-round unanimous decision last year on August 12, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. Valdez, 33, says he wasn’t following his coach’s game plan and was looking to put him down.
Conquering Size
It appeared that the 5’7″ Navarrete was too big for the 5’5″ Valdez and used his long reach advantage of six inches to dominate the smaller fighter. If Valdez had better strength, he could have won, but he was on the outside and was shot by Navarrete. That probably won’t change in the rematch, no matter how good the game plan is.
Navarrete vs. Valdez Punch Stats
– Emanuel Navarrete: 279 of 1024 photos at 27.2%
– Oscar Valdez: 141 of 493 punches 28.6%
With the kind of volume that Navarrete had, Valdez didn’t stand a chance because he couldn’t match his output, and he won’t be there for the rematch. He is not built for that. The only guys who can beat Navarrete are smart fighters like Berinchyk denies or those with great powers such as Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez.
Valdez isn’t the only one looking to avenge a loss on December 7. Cuba’s two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez (14-2, 9 KOs) will challenge WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza (25-0, 21 KOs). in a rematch of their last year’s fight on December 9, 2023.
Robeisy lost a 12-round majority decision to the 6’1″ and relinquished his WBO belt. Ramirez-Espinoza will be fighting in the main event on December 7.
Is Valdez Really A Different Hero?
“I will beat him because I am a better fighter, and I have different styles in my arsenal,” said Oscar Valdez speaking to Fighthype about why he will defeat Emanuel Navarrete on December 7.
“My game plan was off. We had a good game plan, but I left it because I was looking for that one goal,” said Valdez about why he lost to Navarrete last year. “The fans were there, it was loud, and I wanted to go for one shot. It didn’t work, especially with a fighter like “El Vaquero” Navarrete.
“So, going back and looking at the war, I say, I made a lot of mistakes. So, I train every day to become a better, smarter fighter inside the ring.”
Valdez is coming off a seventh round stoppage over Liam Wilson on March 29 in Glendale, Arizona. It was a good win for Valdez, but he wasn’t a guy on Navarrete’s level. Indeed, Wilson had already been released by Navarrete on March 3, 2023.
If Valdez loses the rematch with Navarrete, he should consider moving down to 126 pounds because he is too small to fight in this weight class at 130.
We saw that in Valdez’s loss against 5’8″ Shakur Stevenson on April 30, 2022, in a 12-round unanimous decision loss. Shakur looked huge compared to Valdez. It was lightweight versus featherweight because Valdez was so small.
Valdez Learning from Mistakes
“When I fought Shakur, I was 100% ready for that fight, and I didn’t do anything to Shakur. So, as far as the El Vaquero fight goes, I know I’m the better fighter. I know I can win this fight. That I lost the game plan,” said Valdez. “When I fell, I didn’t concentrate. I made a lot of rookie mistakes, and that’s what will be different from this one: being a smart fighter.”
Valdez did everything right for Navarrete, but he couldn’t cover the size, strength, and volume. That won’t change in the rematch.
“That’s what hurts me more about this loss than when I fought Shakur Stevenson,” said Valdez. “A lot of times, it’s not a loss. It’s about knowing that you gave it your best. In my last fight against El Vaquero, I know I wasn’t the best.”
“If I look at all the fighters at 130, the guy to beat is El Vaquero. 135, why not in the future? I consider myself 130 years younger. “Maybe I’ll test the waters in the future and see if my body can adapt to that team,” said Valdez about moving up to lightweight in the future.
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