FINALLY WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez has the kind of opposition he craves. He fights Scott Quigg in Carson on Saturday (March 10).
“We’re looking for the bigger names and, here we go, we have one in front of us. I have to take it more than seriously. I’ve heard this plenty of times: If you want to be considered the best, you have to fight the best. And I do see Scott Quigg as one of the best fighters out there. Definitely, I am very excited for this fight,” Valdez said.
He was sparring Quigg only last year and will have learned from those rounds. “I was really focused on my fight with Miguel Marriaga. The sparring session was just a sparring session for me. We did some great work. I’ve been telling everybody if the fight is as good as the sparring session, they can expect fireworks because Scott Quigg is a great fighter. He proved it in that sparring session,” Valdez said. “Me and my trainer, Manny Robles, did a tremendous job in the gym going back and forth on the mistakes we made, the good and bad, and we worked on it in the gym. We’re going to prove it on Saturday night.
“Scott Quigg is a good fighter, and the Genesis Servania fight is in the past already. We’re trying to correct our mistakes, and we’re going to show it on Saturday night.”
Quigg himself does not take much from their past sparring. “At the time, we never knew if we were going to cross paths. There was always potential for that. I was preparing for Viorel Simion and he was preparing for the Marriaga fight. We helped each other out and got some good work in. All I know from the spar is, the fans are going to be in for a real treat,” he said.
Quigg himself is prepared for the popular Mexican. “I’m going to be booed into the ring, but I plan on being cheered out,” the Briton said. “Oscar is billed as the next featherweight star. He’s not put a foot wrong thus far. He’s 23-0 with 19 knockouts. When [his promoter] Eddie Hearn got on the phone with me and said the fight was offered, I told him this is a fight that excites me. Respect to Oscar, respect to his team, his trainer [Manny Robles], they’re good people. They want to be the best, so you’ve got to fight the best.
“I take my hat off to Valdez. This is a voluntary defense. They didn’t have to pick me. He could’ve chosen an easier defense. Credit to Team Valdez, but I’m going to make sure on Saturday night that they regret picking me.”
