By Norm Frauenheim –
TEMPE, Ariz. — – Oscar Valdez Jr. looked to his right. Looked to his left.
He was surrounded by the history he witnessed and the history he still hopes to make.
To his left, there was Marco Antonio Barrera. To his right, there was Erik Morales.
Barrera and Morales, the historical faces of a defining chapter in Mexican boxing, were there Thursday on a stage on either side of Valdez and Emanuel Navarrete in a Tempe ballroom for a news conference, a platform perhaps for the next chapter.
“Just having Morales and Barrera here says something,’’ said Navarrete, who didn’t have to say much more.
Expectations are huge for Saturday night when Valdez and Navarrete will meet in an intriguing junior-lightweight fight on the other side of Phoenix in Glendale at the Desert Diamond Arena.
In terms of ferocity and drama, the Barrera-Morales trilogy nearly a quarter of century ago stands alone. It’s the example, the Mexican model for blood, guts and guile.
Don’t expect an exact remake. Neither Valdez (31-1, 23 KOs) nor Navarrete (37-1, 31 KOs) was foolish enough to promise that.
But the blood and guts, they vowed, will be there in a ESPN showdown for the World Boxing Organization’s 130-pound belt, which was won by Navarrete last February in a controversial stoppage of Liam Wilson, also at Desert Diamond.
For both, the promotional link to Barrera-Morales is an opportunity to make their own history. Each will pursue it with a key element that has been missing so far.
Like Morales and Barrera, Navarrete and Valdez look as if they could be partners in the kind of long-term rivalry that turns forgettable into memorable.
“For me, this fight means the world,’’ said Valdez, who mentioned Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares on a long list of Mexican legends. “With all of these great names, it’s been my biggest dream to be on that imaginary list. What I’ve done so far is not much.’’
What he’s done includes titles at a couple of weights. He’s a former featherweight champion. He a former junior lightweight champion. It’s the former part that bothers him. Motivates him, too.
He got blown out by Shakur Stevenson, losing his 130-pound version of the championship puzzle. There’s no shame in that. Stevenson is well on his way to pound-for-pound prominence. He might be a step below Terence Crawford and Naoya Inoue. But Stevenson doesn’t figure to be there for long.
Still the defeat, a one-sided decision in January 2022, haunts Valdez, a Mexican Olympian who was born in Nogales and still has family in Tucson. It was his first defeat. Still his lone loss
It’s been painful, maybe even more painful than his epic victory over Scott Quigg on a rainy night in an outdoor ring in Carson, Calif., in March 2018.
Quigg broke his jaw midway through the bout. Quigg was three pounds heavier than the featherweight limit at the official weigh-in the day before opening bell. Management told Valdez not to fight. But Valdez said no way. He came to fight, and fight he did.
But he paid for his stubborn will. He also won a unanimous decision on a long, chilly night. For most of the bout, the blood from his shattered jaw spilled from his mouth and onto the canvas in front of his stool. Despite the rain, the blood stain was still there about an hour after he had been carried out on a stretcher.
It was a moment when you wondered whether Valdez would ever answer another opening bell. He did, of course He’s about to answer one more.
“You can send Valdez to the canvas, you can break his jaw, but still he comes at you,’’ Navarrete said.
Valdez has fought eight times since that epic night. He’s gone 7-1, losing to Stevenson and then beating Adam Lopez in a rematch last May.
I asked him after that news conference Thursday, what hurt more? The loss to Stevenson or the broken jaw?
“Good question,’’ Valdez said. “The thing about the broken jaw was that the fans were still there for me. They were applauding me. They were wishing me well. They were telling me to get well. They were telling me they couldn’t wait see me in the ring again.
“After losing to Shakur, I was kind of alone. I had a lot of questions. I had to work my way through that by myself. I’m better for it now. But it was tough.’’
Nothing much about Valdez’ stubborn resilience surprises his manager, Frank Espinoza, anymore. He’s seen him get up. He’s seen him endure. He’s also seen him get caught up in too many close fights. But about his will, Espinoza has no doubt.
“Hey, a broken jaw is really painful,’’ Espinoza said. “But I’m not surprised that losing is more painful than a busted jaw for Oscar.’’
Put it this way: Valdez’ jaw healed. Only a victory will correct the record and maybe make some history.
