By: Sean Crose
Miguel Berchelt will defend his WBC super featherweight title when he faces the undefeated Oscar Valdez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on the evening of February 20th. The fight, which will go down in the MGM’s Bubble, will be a scheduled 12 round affair. It will be Berchelt’s first fight since his knockout of Jason Sosa in 2019 (though he did fight an exhibition bout in June). As for Valdez, this will be his first fight since he stopped Jayson Velez last July. The match will be aired live on ESPN as the main event of a Top Rank card.
Boasting a record of 37-1, the 29 year old Berchelt has a well earned reputation for being a high end operator. Having bested the likes of Francisco Vargas, Miguel Roman, and Takashi Miura, the Mexican champion has but a single defeat on his resume, a 2014 loss to the little known Luiz Flores. Since that time, the fighter known as El Alacran has won 16 in a row. The last time Berchelt went the distance was way back in 2017. His five fights since then have all ended within the distance. The match with Valdez will be Berchelt’s sixth title defense.
With a record of 28 wins and no losses, Valdez has knocked out all but six of his opponents. With a pristine record, the former world featherweight titlist will enter the ring looking for a world title in his second weight division. After having been scheduled to face Berchelt in December, the 30 year old Californian (by way of Mexico) had to essentially sit out the early winter after Berchelt tested positive for Covid-19. Now that both men appear fit to fight, Valdez will get his chance at a second divisional title in a few weeks.
The caliber of the two fighters makes this an enticing and long awaited matchup for fans. Top Rank is making it a point to let the world know this fight is on free television (basic cable), as it has been highly anticipated for some time, and other promotional outlets, such as the PBC, generally air their more compelling matchups on pay per view. Whether anyone would find this particular match, interesting though it is, pay per view worthy is another matter. Still, this is most certainly a title fight for fans to look forward to in the coming weeks ahead.
