Oscar Valdez Returns with Victory against Richard Medina in Nogales
The two-division former champion, Óscar Valdez, secured a unanimous decision victory against Richard Medina in a 10-round featherweight bout held on Saturday at the Binational Dome in Nogales, Mexico, his hometown.
This matchup marked Valdez’s return to the ring after his technical knockout loss in the sixth round against Emanuel Navarrete in December, where he lost the WBC super lightweight title.
The judges’ scorecards reflected a wide difference: 100-90, 98-92, and 97-93. Despite this, Medina (16-4, 9 KOs) maintained strong pressure throughout the fight, while Valdez (33-3, 24 KOs) tried to counter his advances, without managing to hurt his opponent.Óscar Valdez celebrates his victory by unanimous decision over Richard Medina, marking his return after the defeat against Emanuel Navarrete.Valdez, 34 years old, started strong, connecting hooks and using his jab to prevent “El Castigo” from getting close. However, his opponent’s resistance was notable.
In the intermediate rounds, Medina gained momentum and managed to connect several blows. Valdez was overwhelmed in some exchanges and seemed to slow down his pace, unable to stop Medina’s offense.
Valdez regained his rhythm in the eighth round, connecting hooks that impacted Medina’s face, causing him to lose his mouthpiece. But Medina, 24, was never in danger and continued to advance, absorbing blows to respond with his own.
It was clear that Valdez, former featherweight and super featherweight champion, had lost some speed against an opponent he would have dominated years ago. But he showed the heart of a champion in the final rounds, finishing strong to get back on the winning track.
Since his defeat to Shakur Stevenson in 2022, Valdez has alternated wins and losses in his last five fights.
