Miguel Berchelt’s mandatory defense of his WBC junior lightweight title against Oscar Valdez is being targeted for Dec. 12, multiple sources close to both teams told ESPN on Thursday. The fight will air on ESPN.
Originally planned for Nov. 7, the Berchelt-Valdez date was moved due to Top Rank’s intention of staging a fight between WBO welterweight titlist Terence Crawford and former titlist Kell Brook on Nov. 14.
Berchelt has been training in the Jiquipilco mountains in Mexico since the start of September. Valdez, who was already training with Eddy Reynoso in San Diego, returned to his home in Sonora, Mexico, this week.
The fight between Berchelt (38-1, 34 KOs) and Valdez (28-0, 22 KOs) had been ordered by the WBC. Originally scheduled for May, the bout was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and both fighters decided to take tune-up fights before fighting each other. Berchelt defeated Eleazar Valenzuela by sixth-round TKO on June 27 in Mexico City, while Valdez stopped Jayson Velez in the 10th round on July 21 in Las Vegas.
Berchelt, 28, has made six successful defenses of the title that he won in an 11th-round KO victory over Francisco Vargas in 2017. Valdez, 29, won the WBO featherweight title with a second-round win over Matias Rueda in 2016. After defending that belt six times, Valdez relinquished his title in August 2019 to look for a world title in a second division.