00:57 ET
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Mike Coppinger ESPN
LAS VEGAS – Shakur Stevenson ran around the ring with his hands held high as the seconds passed on the biggest night of his career.
For 12 rounds, he practically played Oscar Valdez in what turned out to be a complete mismatch in ESPN’s main event on Saturday night before 10,102 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Stevenson is just so good.
He uses an excellent left-handed paw, one of the best weapons in boxing, to keep Valdes at bay and place his own powerful left hand on his body. The unanimous victory of 118-109, 117-110 and 118-109 gave Stevenson a second title at £ 130.
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“I’m a superstar in this sport,” said Stevenson, 24. “I want to put all the belts together at 130 and be undisputed. I deserve to be a superstar, so I have to do that.”
Stevenson (18-0, 9 KOs) hit Valdes in round 6 with a right hook, causing him to stumble into the ropes before a second right hand knocked him off the track when he was out of balance.
Defender Stevenson pushed forward and unloaded powerful blows in an attempt to end the battle, but Valdes survived, just as he did when he suffered knockdowns in three previous matches.
“I said to myself, ‘I’m going to close.’ [Valdez’s fans] up, “and as the battle continued, I heard crickets,” Stevenson said.
Valdes (30-1, 23 KOs) just couldn’t find a way past Stevenson’s shot. The mismatch in speed and arm size also made it difficult for Valdes, who usually struck once at a time while Stevenson strung combinations.
Strike statistics
Shots Valdez Stevenson Total shots 110189 Total shots 508580 Percent22% 33% shots shots 631 shots 147282 Percent4% 11% Strength thrown 104158 Strength thrown361298 Percentage 29% 53% of Comp-UBox
Valdes seemed to be looking for a final haymaking match, like the one he scored in February 2021 to knock out Miguel Berchelt and win the WBC lightweight title, but that kind of blow never came close to materializing.
“He was just the better fighter tonight,” Valdes said, 31. “He did what he had to do to win the battle. He’s a great fighter. His speed is there, his strength is there.”
Valdes lunged forward behind a high guard and caught many of Stevenson’s punches in his gloves, but each time he approached, Stevenson took a step back and struck a few more. Stevenson often mixed right to left against the body, a blow he noted over and over again.
Another left to the middle stunned Valdes in 10 rounds, but Stevenson was much more patient this time, happy to accumulate rounds on the road to victory with the decision.
The best performance of his career followed Stevenson’s victory over Jamel Herring in October, which marked his first fight against a reigning title holder. Against Herring, Stevenson used an aggressive attack that involved a lot of pressure on his way to victory with a technical knockout in the 10th round.
The victory made Stevenson champion in two divisions – like Valdes, he also won the title with 126 pounds – and established him as the number one boxer on ESPN with 130 pounds. Valdes had previously been rated No. 1, but was removed from the rankings after being tested positive for the banned substance Phentermine.
Despite the unfavorable finding in August, Valdes was allowed to defend his title against Robson Conceikao in September, a battle he won by unanimous decision.
“I am not a fraud. I have never been. “I never needed that,” Valdes told ESPN’s Mark Kriegel in September. “Many people say, ‘You’re a fraud.’ You use steroids. You came back positive. “It’s just heartbreaking for me.”
Valdes now has to contend with the first loss of his professional career, but may soon find his way to another chance at the title. Stevenson holds two of the division’s four belts and said he is aiming to become the undisputed junior lightweight champion. It is also possible, Stevenson said, that he will advance to the lightweight division for his next match.
With 135 pounds, he can meet Devin Haney in the future. Honey will fight George Cambosos for the undisputed lightweight championship on June 4 in Australia. Haney was in the Las Vegas ring after signing several fights with Top Rank, the company that promotes both Valdes and Stevenson.
“Devin is definitely a huge battle for me; Devin is a great fighter. We can rank him in the future,” said Stevenson, a silver medalist at the Newark, New Jersey Olympics.
He added: “You arrange them, name them, I’m ready for everyone.”
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