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Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez has offered WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez 30-0 (23) tips on how to defeat WBO 130-pound champion Shakur ‘Fearless’ Stevenson 17-0 (9) ahead of their clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night.
Marquez, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020, held the same title as Valdez 15 years ago when he beat the great Marco Antonio Barrera on points. Across his remarkable 21-year pro career he won various world titles across three different weight classes, scoring a sixth-round knockout of Manny Pacquiao in their fourth fight. He retired with a record of 56-7-1 (40) in 2014.
The 31-year-old Valdez of Mexico is set to make the second defence of the title he won in impressive fashion against countryman Miguel Berchelt 38-3 (34) in Las Vegas in February last year. Cast as the underdog, Valdez ignored the bookmakers to score a highlight reel knockout in the 10th. Berchelt was on the deck in rounds four, nine and 10.
Southpaw Stevenson, 24, enters the fight off the back of a career-best victory over Jamel Herring 23-3 (11) in Atlanta last October. The 10th round stoppage saw him crowned the WBO boss.
The bout promises to be an intriguing one with Stevenson expected to box from the outside while Valdez will likely look to use his ring IQ to muscle his way in close.
At least that’s the way Marquez sees it.
“Shakur is a good fighter and Oscar Valdez is a good fighter too,” the 48-year-old Marquez said to FightHubTV. “It’ll be a great fight and I think Valdez has an opportunity to win the fight.
“It’s going to be difficult because Shakur Stevenson is a difficult fighter, but everything is possible in the ring.
“Valdez needs to use his experience, move his body in the ring and land his combinations on Shakur Stevenson’s body, showing combinations of three, four, five landed punches and combinations, starting on his body and Shakur Stevenson’s face. Then change the combinations.
“For that, Valdez needs to move his body to get to the body of Shakur Stevenson.
“Stay inside of Shakur Stevenson’s defense. It’s a very tough fight for Oscar. Maybe his trainer, Eddy Reynoso, needs to work for speed for Oscar Valdez’s speed and his legs.
“Shakur Stevenson is a good fighter in the center of the ring, and Oscar Valdez needs to work to go inside the defense of Shakur Stevenson. Shakur will stay at a distance in a strategic fight.
“I think Oscar Valdez needs to use his speed and use his body in the ring because he needs to be inside the defense of Shakur Stevenson.
“I think it’ll be a great fight. Oscar Valdez is a great fighter and Shakur Stevenson is a great fighter.”
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