By: Francisco Martinez
Oscar Valdez represented Mexico in the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, China as a Bantamweight. The ferocious undefeated young prospect now seeks glory as a professional. With a 15-0 record start and under the guidance of the Top Rank promotions powerhouse this young native of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico looks to be headed into super-stardom as he prepares for his bout on an HBO card. Boxinginsider.com secured a one on one with the young Oscar Valdez. This is what he had to say…
Boxinginsider.com: “What does this opportunity bring for you?”
Oscar Valdez: “I’m excited for another great card Bradley/Vargas (June 27th) I know both of these fighters. It’s going to be a war. I know a lot of people are going to be there so that gives me another opportunity to show the crowd who Oscar Valdez is”
Boxinginsider.com: “What do you think about fighting at the StubHub center the home of the upsets, fight of the year home. Do you plan on giving the fans a good performance?”
Oscar Valdez: “Yeah, everyone knows that when you fight at the StubHub center there’s always good fights. I don’t know what it is but there’s always good fights. So I have to go in there and put up a good show”
Boxinginsider.com: “Your career is young and you’ve taken the identity of being a pressure fighter is that something that your going to use through out your whole career or you plan on boxing more as you get in the later stages of your career?”
Oscar Valdez: “I don’t always consider myself as a pressure fighter. I do a lot of things insides the gym. Try to switch it up a lot. I can box to, whatever my opponent brings to the table I can switch it up to. I always have plan A, plan B. I’m not always going to go in there and brawl. If it gets to tough brawling I can also box”
Boxinginsider.com: “Being that you where an Olympian and now your a professional is there a lot of pressure to become a world champion with all the loyal fan base you have been gaining is all that pressure to be a world champion?”
Oscar Valdez: “There’s no pressure at all I would say confidence. I have no pressure you can say it’s easy for me to go inside the gym. It’s easy for me to wake up early and go run. Sometimes if I get bored I go do an extra workout. I dedicate myself 100% so I know if I work hard in the gym everything should go well as a fighter”
Boxinginsider.com: “Being of Mexican heritage there’s a lot of great fighters is there a lot of pressure to be the next gran campeon Mexicano or are you just going to do what you have to do and focus on your career?”
Oscar Valdez: “I just focus on myself. It’s an honor people consider me the next big Mexican thing. I’m just going along I’m just enjoying boxing right now and I’m going to let things go on their own”
Boxinginsider.com: “The team that surrounds you are they a big influence on you to keep your maturity through out this whole process and not be to out spoken, show a lot of respect. Do they have a lot in keeping you level headed?”
Oscar Valdez: “One of the main guys on my team is my father (Oscar Valdez Sr) he’s teaching me a lot through out life. I got a great team with me. I got my manager Frank Espinoza my father they’re a big part of what I do and my trainer Manny Robles. It’s always two takes. I can’t always take the credit because we’re a team and we show it inside the ring”
Boxinginsider.com: “Being that your dad was one of the very first believers in you as a kid and now your a professional do you feel that you owe him something like a world title?”
Oscar Valdez: “Oh yeah. We’ve been sharing this dream since I was a kid. Every time I feel down he helps me every time he feels down I help him. We help each other. I consider ourselves best friends”
Photos: Chris Farina/ Top Rank
