Oscar Valdez Jr. is adding a few pounds and some very big aspirations in pursuit of a second division title.
The former 126-pound champion is moving up to 130 to face Andres Gutierrez (38-2-1, 25 knockouts) on Nov. 30 at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on ESPN+, a fight Valdez hopes is a springboard to an immediate showdown with junior lightweight titleholder Miguel Berchelt.
“If we go out the way we want, with the hand held high after this fight, I think we already deserve the position to face Berchelt,’’ Valdez said Monday during a question-and-answer session with media in Los Angeles.
Valdez (26-0, 20 KOs) doesn’t plan to waste any time at the new weight. Berchelt is considered the best of the current 130-pound class. He has made six successful title defenses, just three short of Julio Cesar Chavez’s record.
“In that division, the goal is to fight him,’’ Valdez said. “He is the boxer to beat.’’
The boxer to fear, too.
Berchelt has power and a presence. He is often mentioned as a possible opponent for current lightweight champion and pound-for-pound leader Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Valdez has never backed away from a big risk. His fearless streak was oh-so evident against Scott Quigg on a rainy night on March 3, 2018 in Carson, California. Quigg failed to make the featherweight limit but Valdez decided to fight anyway. Quigg busted his jaw. Valdez lost a lot of blood and spent several days getting his meals through a straw after his mouth was wired shut in surgery. But he won the fight, scoring a unanimous decision over the bigger Quigg.
It was a sure sign of his courage.
And his determination.
“If I had to retire tomorrow I would not be happy with my career,’’ said Valdez, a two-time Mexican Olympian who was born in the Mexican border town of Nogales but went to school in Tucson. “I think there is much to achieve , and some of that is to go up and win another title.”
Valdez will be fighting for the third time with Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, in his corner.
“More than anything, I am grateful to him that he opened the doors for me,’’ said Valdez, who had worked with Manny Robles, heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr.’s trainer. “He has a lot of work with Canelo. At first, we doubted if he would have enough time. But on the contrary, we have spent Christmas together.
“I have learned a lot with Eddy Reynoso, and I will demonstrate it in my next fight. In boxing, you never stop learning.”