Richard Medina vs Oscar Valdez Preview September 6th, 2025
Former WBO Featherweight and WBC Junior Lightweight Champion Oscar Valdez of Mexico returns to the ring this Saturday, September 6th to take on Richard Medina of San Antonio, Texas. The 10-round junior lightweight tilt takes place in Valdez’s hometown of Nogales, Mexico and can be seen live on ESPN Knockout. Valdez squared off against Emanuel Navarrete in a rematch in his last bout in December and was stopped in the sixth round in a shot at the WBO Super Featherweight Title. Valdez was dropped in the first, fourth and sixth rounds. The pair also met in a slugfest in August, 2023 with Navarrete winning by unanimous decision. Medina’s last fight also took place in December when he beat Angel Hernandez Pillado via a third-round TKO.
Medina vs Valdez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Richard Medina +700
- Oscar Valdez -1250
My Pick
The 24-year-old Medina enter the ring with a mark of 16-3 with 9 Ko’s and has 99 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2018 as a teenager. As an amateur he made it to the 2017 USA Youth National Championships quarterfinals and the 2018 USA Western Regional Youth Open quarterfinals. He reached the semifinals of the 2017 USA Youth Open Tournament where he lost to Keyshawn Davis and also made it to the semifinals of the 2016 USA Junior Olympics and won the 2016 USA Junior Open Final.
Medina stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with an unlisted reach and possesses decent power as 56.3 per cent if his wins have come by stoppage including three of his last four. However he’s 1-2 in his last three contests and has a record of 3-3 in his past six outings. His first defeat came at the hands of Raymond Ford in 2022 via a wide 10-round unanimous decision in a shot at the vacant IBF North American Featherweight Title. He also dropped eight-round unanimous decisions to George Acosta in December, 2023 and to Geo Lopez in his next fight in September, 2024. Medina’s best wins have come against Juan Antonio Lopez, Rafael Reyes and Omar Castillo.
The 34-year-old Valdez makes the ring walk with a record of 32-3 with 24 Ko’s and has boxed 227 rounds since making his pro debut in 2012 after a stellar amateur career. He has fine power as 75 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage, but has gone the distance in four of his past six fights and seven of his past 17. He’s also lost three of his last five fights. Valdez measures just over 5-feet-5-inches tall with a 66-inch reach which sees him give up just half-an-inch in height to Medina.
Valdez is the only two-time boxing Olympian from Mexico, but failed to win a medal at the 2008 and 2012 Games in Beijing, China and London, England. Valdez did win a dozen medals in other international competitions though and had more than 200 amateur bouts. One of these included a loss to Vasyl Lomachenko and he was also beaten by Robson Conceicao in the gold medal match at the Pan American Games over 12 years ago. Valdez avenged the defeat to Conceicao as a pro when he dealt him a controversial 12-round unanimous decision in September, 2021.
Even though Valdez won the vacant WBO Featherweight Title in 2016 when he stopped Matias Rueda in the second round and defended it six times, he wasn’t facing a steady diet of Grade A boxers until stopping Miguel Berchelt in the 10th round in 2021 to win the WBC Junior Lightweight Title. He has wins over fine competitors such as Liam Wilson, Scott Quigg, Jason Sanchez, Jayson Velez, Miguel Marriaga, Hiroshige Osawa, Evgeny Gradovich, Chris Avalos, Jose Ramirez, Alberto Garza and Ruben Tamayo. He’s also won the WBO NABO Featherweight, NABF Junior Featherweight, and NABF Junior Super Featherweight Titles as a pro as well as the WBO Interim Super Featherweight Crown.
Prediction…
Valdez is an aggressive fighter with plenty of power and is more of a volume puncher who typically stops opponents with an accumulation of blows rather. He’s been on the canvas before and stopped but still has a pretty solid chin. Valdez is a tough son of a gun he doesn’t really possess what you’d call elite boxing skills. Medina is 10 years younger than Valdez and had a good amateur career but is taking a step up in class here. I think Valdez has the experience and natural aggression to win this fight unless his previous wars have taken too much out of him. He’s also fighting in his hometown for the first time in 10 years.
Valdez is more aggressive and powerful.
Play Valdez -1250 @ BetOnline.ag
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Oscar Valdez betting • Richard Medina betting