Oscar Valdez Injured, Withdraws From Upcoming Vacant Title Fight Vs. Emanuel Navarrete
He has not fought since losing his title in April.
Oscar Valdez won’t be returning to the ring yet.
Valdez has reportedly sustained an undisclosed injury while training, forcing him to withdraw from his upcoming fight against Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant WBO junior lightweight title
Valdez, a former WBO featherweight and WBC super featherweight champion, was scheduled to face Navarrete, a former WBO junior featherweight and current WBO featherweight champion, in a 12-round championship bout on February 3 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
No. 3 WBO ranked contender Liam Wilson is likely to become Navarrete’s new opponent, according to Boxing Scene.
But before that, Boxing Scene added that WBO No. 1 contender Archie Sharp and Wilson have agreed to fight on the undercard of Jermell Charlo vs Tim Tszyu on January 28.
Valdez has not fought since losing to Shakur Stevenson on April 30. Before that, he tested positive for a banned substance by VADA, but was still allowed to keep his WBC super featherweight title and defend it against Robson Conceicao. He won by unanimous decision, but boxing fans argued with the outcome.
The WBO junior lightweight title has been vacant since Stevenson came in overweight in his fight against Conceicao in September – both had previously faced Valdez in their respective fights before.
Stevenson won, but was unable to win the belt back. He has since moved up to lightweight.
It’s unclear how long Valdez will be sidelined for.