WBO Featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) defeated Scott Quigg (34-2, 25 KOs) by unanimous decision in a grueling, action-packed bout on a rainy Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California on March 10, 2018.
Two judges scored it 117-111, while the third judge had it 118-110, all in favor of Valdez.
“I have always said that I want to fight the best and tonight I beat a great fighter in a hell of a war,” said Valdez. I’m proud of myself and my team.”
The action began from the opening bell, with both fighters landing good shots. Valdez found success with the jab and attacked Quigg’s body with vicious shots, but Quigg continued to come forward the first three rounds.
Quigg was the bigger fighter and it showed as he walked Valdez down, but the Mexican Olympian would not back down. Valdez kept digging to the body and landed hard left hooks.
In the fifth round, Quigg was cut above the left eye but landed a left hook that stunned Valdez. The action continued in the sixth with both fighters exchanging body shots and combinations.
Valdez’s mouth started bleeding in the seventh round. As Quigg’s constant pressure continued, Valdez kept attacking the body and landed a hard shot that appeared to hurt Quigg in the 10th round.
Quigg landed a low blow in the 11th round, which angered Valdez. Both fighters traded hard shots but Valdez landed a hard left hook at the end of the round.
Valdez broke his jaw in the fifth round and did not attend the post-fight press conference. He was loaded into an ambulance and sent to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for observation.
“I thought it might have been a round or two closer,” said Quigg. “That’s what I expected on the cards, but he won the fight. The close rounds, they sided with him.”
Top Rank president Todd DuBoef said you couldn’t ask for a performance as spectacular as that. Valdez is a young fighter who’s still maturing.
“He was handicapped after giving up weight,” said DuBoef. “When you drain yourself to get that extra weight off and the opponent doesn’t; he went through a ton of adversity.”
Valdez wants to fight the best and said he wants all the big names.
“We are ready to fight other world champions in the division,” said Valdez.
All photos by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
