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Steve KimESPN
One of the more anticipated fights that was tentatively planned for the spring was the matchup between WBC junior lightweight world titlist Miguel Berchelt (who lives in Mexico) and his mandatory challenger Oscar Valdez (who lives in California). The bout was easily makeable given that both fighters are aligned with Top Rank, but now Top Rank’s Bob Arum says that challenges with visas may stand in the way of getting it done.
“We have problems we alone can’t solve,” Arum said. “For example, Berchelt has a perfectly OK visa, but the question is: Will he be allowed into the United States? I don’t know, the answer is — it’s a governmental policy.
“You can’t make a lot of these decisions as just boxing decisions. A lot of them — if not all of them — have to ultimately be taken into what the situation is, as far as what the government will allow.”
Valdez recently moved up to 130 after holding the WBO featherweight title from 2016 to 2019, where he made six successful title defenses. On Thanksgiving weekend, Valdez made his junior lightweight debut in Las Vegas, but instead of facing Andres Gutierrez (who came in 11 pounds over the weight limit), he took on upstart Adam Lopez on late notice. Lopez floored Valdez in the second round, but ultimately Valdez stopped him in the seventh.
The victory made Valdez the mandatory challenger for Berchelt, a fight he desperately wants to take.
“It’s a mandatory fight, and there were rumors it was going to be May 9,” Valdez said. “I was already back in training camp in San Diego, but then we got the news that [May 9] was Jose Ramirez and Viktor Postol. We just continued training. It wasn’t going to hurt us to remain in camp.
“On our side, we’re ready to sign the contract because I’m going for my dream. I want that belt. We want to make it official, and I was already training for that fight. Right now, we just gotta train back home. It is what it is.”
Berchelt is also looking for the challenge, one that he believes will further define his career.
“Oscar is a great fighter,” said Berchelt (37-1, 33 KOs), who in his last outing in November stopped Jason Sosa in four rounds. “I respect him a lot, but now we must face each other. I think [trainer] Eddy Reynoso has come to add a lot of good things to his corner. He has also done a good job with Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia. Now he is doing it with Oscar Valdez. It’s an excellent team, but on my side, I’m the champion and I also have a great trainer in Alfredo Caballero. It will be a great fight between Mexican fighters and Mexican trainers.”
Even if the visa situation is worked out, given the state of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s likely that this bout could happen without fans. A fight such as Berchelt-Valdez is one that would do well at the box office in Southern California.
“Obviously there are a lot of fights that would sell tickets, but if we went for when everything is going to be open, I think we’d have a long, long wait in store,” Arum said. “I don’t think that [the crowd] really would be a factor. There’re plenty of great fights that we’re looking to do, that we’ll see if we’ll be able to do.”
There have been some boxers, notably IBF lightweight world titleholder Teofimo Lopez Jr., who has expressed that they would rather not fight in a setting that did not include fans. It’s a decision that all fighters and their camps will have to make.
“I understand the situation, but fighters need to fight,” said Frank Espinoza, Valdez’s manager. “I know the fans bring in the adrenaline rush, the energy to the fighters, but I personally think the fighters need to fight. Wherever the place may be, with or without fans, they still have to fight.”