By Norm Frauenheim –
Oscar Valdez Jr., another Son of Sonora, is planning to return to the desert he calls home in a fight to regain a title after a one-sided loss to Shakur Stevenson.
Valdez is expected to face Emanuel Navarrete on Feb. 3 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale AZ where another Son of Sonora, Juan Francisco Estrada, won a majority decision over Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in a compelling SuperFly trilogy last Saturday.
As of Thursday, the fight’s site and date were not official, despite media reports, including one from ESPN, which will televise the junior lightweight bout. It was not listed on the Desert Diamond’s event calendar.
However, it was no secret throughout events surrounding Estrada-Chocolatito 3 that Valdez-Navarrete was probably headed to the former National Hockey League arena on the west-side of Phoenix.
Valdez father, Oscar Valdez Sr., said his son was in Hermosillo training in anticipation of a February fight with Navarrete. Valdez’ father was in Glendale to work as a second in the corner for flyweight champion Julio Cesar Martinez’ majority decision over Samuel Carmona on the Estrada-Chocolatito 3 undercard.
It looks as if boxing is moving in since the NHL’s Coyotes moved out.
Unbeaten You-Tuber Jake Paul beat mixed-martial arts legend-turned-boxer Anderson Silva there on Oct. 29.
Super-middleweight contender David Benavidez, another Son of Sonora, blew out David Lemieux there on May 21.
Emerging flyweight/SuperFly star Jesse “Bam” Rodriquez, of San Antonio, won his first world title there, taking the World Boxing Council’s 115-pound belt last Feb. 5 with a unanimous decision over Carlos Cuadras.
Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs), who was born in Nogales in the Mexican state of Sonora and went to school in Tucson, has fought in Phoenix twice. The former featherweight champion is wildly popular in southern Arizona.
Valdez, knocked down in a unanimous decision loss to Stevenson in April, scored a debatable decision over Brazilian Robson Conceicao on Sept. 10, 2021 at Casino del Sol, south of Tucson.
Fans jammed an outdoor arena on a hot Sonoran night in late summer.
They were there, cheering Valdez’ every move, despite a noisy PED controversy. The bout was preceded by news that Valdez had tested positive weeks before the bout.
The crowd didn’t care, and that crowd is expected to follow him to Glendale in an intriguing bout for a vacant title against fellow Mexican Navarrete (36-1, 30 KOs), a former 122-pound and 126-pound champion who will fight at 130 for the first time.
