Oscar Valdez Jr. Poised for the Next Step in His Plan to Be a Longtime Champ

Oscar Valdez Jr. poised for the next step in his plan to be a longtime champ By Norm Frauenheim- LAS VEGAS – There’s fusion in cooking, music and sometimes fighters. The best of them are often a product of attaining that perfect mix. It’s deliberate, yet looks natural when complete. It’s a process that is beginning to look a lot like Oscar Valdez Jr. Valdez already has a major title. But his WBO featherweight belt is just the beginning, one ingredient in the evolving face of a new champion who intends to be around a lot longer than an interim title. “The thing is not to became a world champion, but to stick around as one,’’ Valdez said Thursday at The Wynn during at a news conference for his first title defense on the Manny Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas pay-per-view card at Thomas & Mack on Saturday (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET). Valdez is facing an unknown Japanese featherweight, Hiroshige Osawa, who is a WBO-ranked contender fighting in the United States for the first time. Osawa doesn’t appear to be much of a risk to take the title Valdez won in a powerful second-round stoppage of Argentina’s Matias Rueda in July. But don’t say that to Valdez, who grew up in Tucson and in Nogales on the Mexican side of the border with Arizona. Valdez learned two languages, a couple of cultures and respect for both of them. He looks at Osawa and sees an equal. “The more I see of him and the way he keeps coming at you, the more I realize he’s a tough opponent,’’ Valdez said. It would be no surprise if Valdez (21-0, 18 KOs) sees Osawa (30-3-4, 19 KOs) flat on his back sometime early in a scheduled 12 rounder. But it would have been a huge surprise if Valdez had been anything but respectful in interviews before opening bell. He’s as disciplined with his manners as he is with his punches. “A dedicated, serious young man,’’ his promoter, Bob Arum, said. A powerful one, too. His power has quickly caught the attention of the best at 126 pounds. It’s even surprised him. “To be honest, it has,’’ said Valdez, a two-time Mexican Olympian. “I knew I had some power, but not this kind.’’ The power is reflected in stoppages in all but three of his 21 bouts. Valdez says his father, Oscar Sr., told him that the power is the result of his speed. That speed comes from an unlikely place. His dad told him that it comes from the water. “We’re swimmers,’’ Valdez said. “When I was a kid, I swam competitively for a few years before I began to spend more time boxing in the gym. I was never big enough to be a competitive swimmer anyway.’’ Yet, he and his father believe his speed is a byproduct of his days in the pool. Fast hands and fast feet complement each other in a increasingly fluid style that over the last few last bouts appears to flow from round to round and over one opponent after another. Who’s next? Maybe Nonito Donaire. Donaire is on the undercard Saturday against Jessie Magdaleno, who is managed by Valdez manager Frank Espinoza. If Donaire beats Magdaleno at 122 pounds, he has talked about moving back up to 126, possibly in a bid for Valdez’ title. “I’m looking for Jessie to win,’’ Espinoza said. “I’ll have a better plan after Saturday night.’’ An alternate plan might be as intriguing as any. Arum is talking to Al Haymon, which means the PBC’s stable of great featherweights – Carl Frampton, Leo Santa Cruz, Lee Selby, Abner Mares and Jesus Cuellar – might be on Valdez’ horizon. Mares faces Cuellar on Dec. 10 in Los Angeles. “I’d love that fight (Mares),’’ said Espinoza, who managed Mares before he jumped to Haymon. “It would be a great LA fight. But for now, I want to keep Oscar as busy as possible. He really loves to fight. We hope to have him back fighting in March.’’.

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