Oscar Valdez pulled a solid upset and may have landed the Knockout of the Year on Saturday night, walloping Miguel Berchelt at the end of the 10th round to complete a near-perfect performance and take the WBC 130-pound title.
Lightweight champ Teofimo Lopez was on hand in the Top Rank “bubble” in Las Vegas, and got to see not only a hell of a fight, but a magnificent overall performance and finish from Valdez.
Watch Teofimo’s reaction, which as the Tweet suggests, probably matches how a lot of people watching felt and reacted, too:
Lopez congratulated Valdez in person as you can see up top, sprinting down to ringside to do so, and also offered this praise on Instagram:
“Congratulations on an incredible performance, Oscar,” Lopez wrote. “You showed the heart of a champion tonight. Wishing Miguel Berchelt a speedy recovery.”
Valdez (29-0, 23 KO) staked his claim as arguably the best 130-pound fighter in the sport with this win, smashing and dominating a fighter who had been on a tremendous roll in the division for four years.
He’s now won titles in two divisions, still unbeaten, and is truly one of the most likable guys in the sport, too, so this is an easy win for anyone to celebrate. It was just an outstanding night for the Mexican warrior, and fans were rewarded with a terrific display from him and from Berchelt (37-2, 33 KO), who had a tough night but never quit on himself and took a massive amount of punishment.