CARSON, Calif. – It was tactical. It was punishing. It was exhilarating. And exhausting.
In the end, Oscar Valdez Jr., did it all and endured it all, relying on wits, stubborn poise and educated footwork in the beginning and inexhaustible guts in the end for a signature victory over tough and powerful Miguel Marriaga Saturday night at StubHub Center.
Valdez (22-0, 19 KOs) tested himself repeatedly and perhaps in ways he didn’t have to in retaining his WBO featherweight title with a 119-108, 116-111, 118-109 decision.
“Oscar made it a little harder on himself than he needed to, but he’s fighter at heart,’’ his trainer, Manny Robles, said.
It’s that heart that delivered a statement Valdez wanted to make. Before opening bell, Valdez said he was as good as Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton, Gary Russell Jr., Abner Mares and the other elites at the top of the featherweight division. After his stirring triumph over Marriaga (25-2, 21 KOs), they’ll have to make room him at the head table.
For most of nine rounds, Valdez’ sustained a tactical brilliance that kept Marriaga chasing, yet mostly missing with a powerful right hand. It was in the 10th that Valdez began to walk straight into harm’s way. Marriaga landed that right. Off-balance, Valdez countered with quick left that knocked down Marriaga.
The round ended with one wild exchange after another. Both fighters walked back their corners, looking dazed and exhausted. But it continued in the 11th. When the bell sounded for the 12th, Valdez walked out to meet Marriaga. He said something before the first punch was thrown.
“I told him this is a great fight and let’s finish it with great round,’’ said Valdez, the –two-time Mexican Olympian who was born in Nogales and went to school in Tucson.
That’s what they did with punching exchanges that brought a StubHub crowd of more 5,000 to its feet. After it was all over Marriaga walked over to Valdez as he wearily stood in the middle of the ring doing interviews.
“You are a great champion,’’ Marriaga said as he also said thanks. “You’re a great fighter.’’
An elite one, too.
Gilberto Ramirez wins dull decision in comeback
Gilberto Ramirez needed test drive. It wasn;t exciting. Then again, a test drive isn’t supposed to be. In his first fight in a year, he just wanted to test his healed right hand and put himself back in the mix.
Mission accomplished.
Ramirez (350-, 24 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Max Bursak (33-5-1, 15 KOs) , retaining his WBO super-middleweight title in his first defense.
“Who’s next? Ramirez said after a dull 12 rounds.
Jessie Hart said he should be. Hart approached press row and yelling:
“It’s got to happen now! We can’t wait. We’re both in our prime. Jesse Hart wants Gilberto Ramirez now.”
Ramirez says he’d like a fight Gennady Golovkin.
“I want to prove myself as a pound-for-pound fighter,’’ he said.
Technically, Stevenson does what he has to in debut decision
There were boos. There was blood. There might have been an injury. Welcome to the pros, Shakur Stevenson.
Within just five rounds, Stevenson got an introduction to what every professional sees throughout a career. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist from Newark emerged with the victory everybody expected. But it wasn’t exactly pretty. It goes into the book as a technical unanimous decision over Edgar Brito (3-3-1, 2 KO)
There wasn’t anything technical about Stevenson’s superior hand speed or Brito’s edgy toughness. Both were there, obvious from the beginning and jarring midway through the fight. In the third round, Stevenson had his back on the ropes. Brito , a Phoenix featherweight, lunged, leading with his head. It was intentional and – karma-like — it only bloodied Brito, who was left with a long gash above one eye.
Before the scheduled sixth and final round, it was suddenly over. Ring physician Dr. Eddie Hernandez looked at the blood poring into Brito’s right eye and ended it amid grumbling from a surprised StubHub crowd. There was no doubt on the scorecards. Stevenson won every round.
“It was great work,’’ said Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who signed Stevenson a few months ago in what was hailed as promotional coup. “He did what he had to. He’ll get better.’’
On Stevenson manager Andre Ward’s report card, the debut rated an A.
What was unclear, however, was whether Stevenson hurt his left hand. He shook it over the last rounds as if the hand was hurting. He danced around questions about whether he had in fact sustained an injury during a night that will probably be remembered as a learning experience.
Magdaleno impressive in first defense
First, there was the evidence. Then, there was the promise.
Jessie Magdaleno delivered both, including a right and left, in scoring a second-round stoppage of Adeilson Dos Santos on the pay-per-view opener of a Top Rank produced card.
“I’m going to be a champion for a very long time,’’ Magdaleno (25-0, 18 KOs) said after retaining the WBO’s 122-pount belt in his first defense.
There were no arguments, especially from Dos Santos (18-3, 14 KOs), a Brazilian who went down midway through the second from long right hook and for the last time from a left uppercut to the chin at 51 seconds of the round.
Who’s next? Anybody with a belt, Magdaleno said.
Magdaleno’s most-wanted list appears to be topped by Guillermo Rigondeaux, the Cuban who has bored everybody who has watched him and beaten everybody who has faced him.
Best of the Undercard
Junior-welterweight Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, a 2016 Olympic gold medalist from Uzbekistan, had never fought as a pro. Never won as a pro. Gaibnazarov, who signed with Manager of the Year Egis Klimas, also says he had never been knocked down. Let’s just say he made a quadruple debut Saturday.
Gaibnazarov answered his first pro bell, hit the canvas for the first time seconds later, got up for the first time and went on to claim his debut victory with a crushing knockout of Puerto Rican Victor Vazquez (7-3, 3 KOs) at 1:28 of the second round.
The Rest
Russian welterweight Alexander Besputin (7-0, 5 KOs) won every round, for a one-sided scorecard victory over Colombian Breidis Prescott (30-10, 20 KOs), known as the “Khanqueror” in better days. Since he exposed Amir Khan’s chin with stunning stoppage in 2008, Prescott is 10-10.
Russian junior welterweight Maxim Dadashev (7-0, 6 KOs), another prospect on Klimas’ deep roster, threw a left-handed shot that echoed through a still-empty StubHub Center, knocking Bilal Mahasin (9-4-1, 1 KO) onto his back and out of consciousness at 2:09 of the third round.
Mexican Mahonri Montes (31-6-1, 20 KOs) scored fifth-round knockdown that proved to be the pirvotal difference in a wild, split decision over Francisco Santana (24-6-1, 12 KOs) of Santa Barbara, Calif., in the final bout on the non-televised part of the card.
