{"id":30038,"date":"2021-02-22T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-22T07:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/?p=30038"},"modified":"2021-02-22T07:00:49","modified_gmt":"2021-02-22T07:00:49","slug":"arum-on-valdez-stevenson-biggest-fight-after-fury-joshua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/?p=30038","title":{"rendered":"Arum on Valdez-Stevenson: \u201cBiggest fight after Fury-Joshua\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><figcaption>Photo by Mikey Williams\/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Valdez-Stevenson may be a reality, as promoter Bob Arum seems to love the matchup.<\/p>\n<p>Most would agree that the Miguel Berchelt vs Oscar Valdez fight on Saturday night met expectations, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badlefthook.com\/2021\/2\/21\/22293305\/berchelt-vs-valdez-results-highlights-full-fight-video-knockout-dominate-upset-espn-boxing-news-2021\">Valdez offering up a Knockout of the Year type of snuff job on Berchelt<\/a> at the MGM Bubble in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>The day before the drama played out, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.badlefthook.com\/2021\/2\/19\/22292327\/berchelt-vs-valdez-bob-arum-great-fight-feeling-last-top-rank-bubble-show-espn-boxing-news-2021\">Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told Bad Left Hook there would be tears in his eyes as he watched the highly-anticipated showdown<\/a>, because he knew that in three months or so, the pandemic will have lifted enough to have placed the fight in a sold-out arena.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, did you weep some while watching the fight last night?\u201d I asked Arum when checking in Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I was just so amazed at the action, and so happy for Valdez,\u201d Arum replied. \u201cI remember it like it was yesterday, Oscar and his father came to see us, and we discussed signing him. And they decided to go with us, and agreed that we\u2019d be able to work with Oscar and help get him to the sort of place he is now. But he has been with us since his very first fight.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div data-anthem-component=\"readmore\" data-anthem-component-data='{\"stories\":[{\"title\":\"LOOK BACK: Oscar Valdez wins pro debut in 2012\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.badlefthook.com\/2012\/11\/4\/3597538\/oscar-valdez-wins-pro-debut-beats-angel-prado-two-rounds-tko-boxing-news\"}]}'><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>That\u2019s Arum almost showing some sentiment, because it\u2019s been a few years since the 30-year-old Valdez (29-0, 23 KO) started out as a pro. He was part of the batch signed by Top Rank, which included Jose Ramirez, seen by some then as the best pro prospect from the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Some thought Puerto Rican Olympian Felix Verdejo would pan out as the best of the crew signed by Arum\u2019s firm.<\/p>\n<p>Arum also told me he had a feeling Valdez, who has been fine-tuning with trainer Eddy Reynoso for a solid spell, would win. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Derrick Harmon, who works for me, if he had some extra bucks, to bet on Oscar,\u201d Arum said. We are told that a good big man beats a good so-called little man, Arum added, but Valdez isn\u2019t just good. His skills, his ring generalship, combined with above-average heart, and character \u2014 Arum felt those traits would bring him to the win. <\/p>\n<p>Arum already has some ideas about what\u2019s next for Valdez, and isn\u2019t writing off the possibility of a rematch with Berchelt, but he may have his sights set on something he feels could be really big.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn about a week, I\u2019ll check in with the Berchelt team,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the one that I think is really big, the biggest fight after Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua, is Valdez against Shakur Stevenson. Before (Berchelt-Valdez), I would have told you that Shakur is favored to win. But now, after that fight, I\u2019m not saying that. I\u2019m not going against Valdez.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div data-anthem-component=\"readmore\" data-anthem-component-data='{\"stories\":[{\"title\":\"Valdez and Stevenson both want fight, should Top Rank do it next?\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.badlefthook.com\/2021\/2\/21\/22294059\/oscar-valdez-next-fight-shakur-stevenson-both-want-title-bout-espn-top-rank-boxing-news-2021\"},{\"title\":\"What\u2019s next for Valdez, Broner, Berchelt, Avanesyan, and others?\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.badlefthook.com\/2021\/2\/21\/22293739\/oscar-valdez-next-fight-berchelt-adrien-broner-avanesyan-kelly-boxing-news-2021\"}]}'><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>And with light at the end of the pandemic tunnel getting brighter, Arum is thinking about options far beyond the \u201cbubble.\u201d Valdez-Berchelt 2 could fill a building, in his mind. And he wouldn\u2019t want to take it to Mexico, as the revenue pot there isn\u2019t as beefy as it would be doing it in the States. <\/p>\n<p>Arum did say Valdez will be getting a call from the Mexican president, Andr\u00e9s Manuel L\u00f3pez Obrador. Obrador had touched base with Berchelt before Valdez scored his career-defining stoppage victory, so he\u2019ll even up the score and congratulate the victor.<\/p>\n<p>The promoter is also back to thinking about what fights can be placed in Allegiant Stadium, too, so Valdez could be in the mix for an outing at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wpematico_credit\"><small>Powered by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wpematico.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo by Mikey Williams\/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images Valdez-Stevenson may be a reality, as promoter Bob Arum seems to love the matchup. Most would agree that the Miguel Berchelt vs Oscar Valdez fight on Saturday night met expectations, with Valdez offering up a Knockout of the Year type of snuff job on Berchelt at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30038"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/30039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}