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Robson Conceicao believes he, not Oscar Valdez, should own the WBC super featherweight title.
Four months later, the 130-pound contender still cannot believe Valdez was awarded a victory over him in their 12-round title fight. Conceicao is convinced he thoroughly out-boxed Valdez, who wasn’t nearly as impressive versus the previously unbeaten Brazilian than he was when he knocked out countryman Miguel Berchelt in the 10th round of his prior bout.
All three judges scored Valdez the winner over Conceicao on September 10 at Casino del Sol in Tucson, Arizona.
One judge, Stephen Blea, scored nine rounds for Valdez (117-111), whereas judges Omar Mintun (115-112) and Chris Tellez (115-112) scored seven rounds apiece for the undefeated Valdez. Referee Tony Zaino deducted a point from Conceicao in the ninth round for hitting Valdez behind his head.
“The scores were ridiculous,” Conceicao, who will fight Xavier Martinez on Saturday night, told BoxingScene.com. “I don’t think – I’m sure I won the fight. I won eight or nine rounds.”
The 33-year-old Conceicao (16-1, 8 KOs) got off to a strong start versus Valdez (30-0, 23 KOs). He wasn’t aggressive during the championship rounds, though, and it clearly cost him. He disagrees with those that think he should’ve done more in the later rounds to ensure that he could take a title from a champion.
“Even the Mexican fans put on the Internet and sent messages to me saying, ‘You won the fight,’ ” Conceicao said. “The last three or four rounds against Valdez were not a problem for me.”
CompuBox credited Conceicao for landing 58 more punches overall than Valdez (141-of-576 to 83-of-390). According to CompuBox, Conceicao connected with more power punches (103-of-297 to 64-of-209) and jabs (38-of-279 to 19-of-181).
More telling, CompuBox counted more punches for Valdez in only one of the 12 rounds. They did, however, land the same number of blows in four of those rounds.
Conceicao challenged Valdez less than a month after Valdez tested positive for Phentermine, a stimulant banned by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. They still moved forward with their bout because the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Athletic Commission, which regulated the event, is affiliated with the Association of Boxing Commissions and adheres to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s standards, not those established by VADA.
Beating Sacramento’s Martinez (17-0, 11 KOs) would move Conceicao back into position to fight for another 130-pound title later this year. Their 10-round encounter will headline a doubleheader ESPN will televise from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma (10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT).
The 24-year-old Martinez, who will make his debut with promoter Top Rank, is listed as a slight favorite by most online sportsbooks.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.