LAS VEGAS, Nevada – It’s only fitting that Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez officially weigh in for their highly anticipated showdown on the anniversary of an all-time classic between two Mexican warriors before them.
Both boxers made weight for Saturday’s long-awaited junior lightweight title fight, which takes Saturday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Cancun’s Berchelt (38-1, 34KOs) checked in at 130 pounds as he attempts the seventh defense of his WBC junior lightweight title.
Valdez—born in Nogales, Mexico and who currently trains out of Southern California—also weighed in right at the divisional limit of 130 pounds in his attempt at becoming a two-division champion.
Much of the buildup to the terrific matchup has drawn comparisons to the memorable all-Mexico rivalry between Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. Their first fight took place exactly 21 years ago on Feb. 19, 2000, with Morales claiming a contentious 12-round decision down the block at Mandalay Bay. Barrera would win the rematch and the rubber match in 2002 and 2004, respectively, both of which took place in the main room at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Berchelt claimed the title with a knockout win over another unbeaten countryman, stopping Francisco Vargas in the 11th round of their Jan. 2017 clash. The bout was fought on relative competitive terms, though with Berchelt jumping out to a strong start and eventually closing the show. He has since served as arguably the best 130-pound fighter on the planet (or at least right alongside Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis), having recently celebrated his four-year anniversary as champ.
A 17-fight win streak accompanies Berchelt into the ring, most recently in a 6th round knockout of Eleazar Valenzuela in their lightweight non-title fight last June in Mexico City.
Valdez (28-0, 22KOs) held the WBO featherweight belt for three years before abandoning his reign after six successful title defenses. The last came in a 12-round decision over Jason Sanchez in June 2019, having since scored two stoppage wins in the junior lightweight division.
Valdez had to climb off the canvas to rally back and stop Adam Lopez in the 7th round of their Nov. 2019. The unbeaten former titlist had a relatively easier time in his next outing, becoming the first to stop Jayson Velez as he scored a 10th round knockout in this very venue last July.
Velez appears in the evening’s chief support, as the former title challenger from Juncos, Puerto Rico faces unbeaten prospect Gabriel Flores Jr. Both boxers made weight for their scheduled 10-round bout.
Flores Jr. (19-0, 6KOs) and Velez (29-7-1, 22KOs) both checked in right at the contracted limit of 132 pounds.
Saturday marks the third straight Bubble appearance for Flores and fourth in a row on MGM grounds. The 20-year old prospect from Stockton, California—who now lives and trains in Las Vegas—is coming off of a 10-round unanimous decision win over Ryan Kielczewski last October.
Velez (29-7-1, 22KOs) weighed 132 pounds for his first fight since the aforementioned loss to Valdez. Velez has lost his last two fights, though many argued he was unfortunate to land on the wrong end of a split decision versus unbeaten Jaime Arboleda last January in Brooklyn, New York.
Both bouts will air live on ESPN, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT and local time.
Undercard weights to come…
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox