WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez defends his belt against Scott Quigg on March 10th, 2018 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.

Potentially Explosive Match-Up

This is another potentially explosive match-up for the two-time Mexican Olympian whose last fight against Filipino challenger Genesis Servania was one of the best in 2017.

In that bout, both Valdez and Servania suffered knockdowns. But in the end, it was Valdez who came up with a hard fought victory to retain his title via unanimous decision.

Valdez is expecting another tough fight as he faces Quigg, a former junior featherweight world champion, who is currently trained by famed tactician Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

Quigg has won three fights in a row since losing to Carl Frampton in the only loss of his professional career. Quigg moved up to featherweight after the defeat and has been impressive in his new weight class.

Has The Tools To be Great

The fight will be Valdez’s fourth defense of the title he won against Matias Rueda in July 2016. The 27-year old Valdez is undefeated in 23 fights and has 19 wins by way of knockout.

Quigg will be making his U.S. debut. The 29-year old Bury, Manchester, England native is 34-1-2 with 25 knockouts. Quigg won the WBA Super Bantamweight title in June 2012 and made six successful title defenses before relinquishing the belt to Frampton in February of 2016.

The champion Valdez is the huge favorite in this fight (-450 at Bovada), while the challenger Quigg came back at +325. Valdez has the tools to become one of the best pound for pound fighters in the planet. He throws great combinations, has good movement, applies enough pressure and has tremendous punching power.

Both Power Punchers

Although his last two fights have ended in decision, Valdez has one punch knockout power which is uncommon in these lower weight classes.

Valdez has knocked out eight of his last 11 opponents and the only knack on Valdez really is the lack of big names in his resume. That’s not his fault though as not many souls are brave enough to challenge a power punching ‘small guy’ like him. Quigg though is an exception.

The Englishman is tough as they come. He likes to fight on the inside and has great body work which slows down his opponents.

Like Valdez, he also has one punch KO power. And despite moving up in weight recently, he has the power to drop anyone in this new weight class. The problem with Quigg is that he can be wild with his offense and leave himself open for counters. That was his problem against Frampton. It will be the same with Valdez.

Prediction

Valdez has the advantages in quickness, hand speed, movement and power here. If he boxes to the best of his abilities, there is no doubt that he is going to win this fight. Valdez is the better overall boxer and may be just beginning to tap into his potentials. It’s hard to bet against someone who is just making his ascent in the sport.

But if Valdez fights like he did in his last two bouts and gets enticed to a brawl, he could be in real danger against Scott Quigg. Quigg is bigger and has more experience. His pressure style can also cause problems for the young champion. If this becomes a slugfest, Quigg’s chances of winning are much higher.

However, Valdez is too smart of a fighter to be lured into that. He knows who he’s up against and he has what it takes to beat Scott Quigg. We’re picking Oscar Valdez to win this fight and remain unbeaten.