Boxing News Team Bradley Wins Shakur Stevenson Over Oscar Valdez. Bradley’s team is leaning towards WBO super featherweight champion Shakur Stevenson (17-0, 9 KOs) to beat WBC champion Oscar Valdez this Saturday night. They meet in the main event fight on ESPN+ at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Bradley feels Shakur, 24, has the edge in the smart ring, and his hand speed & foot speed will be a problem for Valdez. Also, Stevenson’s 5’7″ size advantage over 5’5 1/2″ will work in his favor. Shakur was also big enough to campaign as a lightweight boxer but chose to merge and fight against smaller fighters like Valdez at super-featherweight.
This was a smart thing for Stevenson to do because he beats people in size alone. He also doesn’t have to worry about the power of a few killers at 135. If Shakur goes from weight to lighter, he needs to shut out 12 virtual rounds without getting hit. to make sure he’s not starched by players like Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis or Ryan Garcia. At 130, Shakur is safe and doesn’t have to worry about getting hit by a man with the force of one hit.
“This is a very good fight. Valdez, you can never count them. He’s a winner,” Tim Bradley told Fight Hub TV during Saturday night’s Oscar Valdez vs Shakur Stevenson unification match on ESPN+.
“Shakur, the same thing; he’s a winner. We’ve never really seen him with such a smart guy in the ring, ” Bradley.
Shakur is Smarter
“He is a two-time Olympian, a man who has the power to punch with both hands, a man who was coached by Eddy Reynoso and has evolved into a boxer/puncher instead of this slugger. He [Valdez] showed great legs and grit in his fight with [Miguel] Berchelt. I thought it was the perfect style match for him to look impressive. He had a guy who came straight forward, who I thought would beat him, but he used great defensive moves to set up his attacks, starting with a beautiful jab. He has a strong punch. This should be an entertaining fight. I would have liked Shakur more because he’s a lot smarter,” Bradley said.
Valdez had the kind of power that Stevenson could fit in if he could land enough shots on him. We’ve seen Stevenson show courage against non-hitting. , He is however up against a fighter who can punch. He’s very negative, ready to run at the first sign of danger. You have to believe Stevenson will be ready to flip gears all night on Saturday. Especially if Oscar even looks like he’s thinking of throwing something because he doesn’t seem to believe in his chin or his ability to dodge or block shots. Stevenson’s defense is his feet. As he grew older in his early to mid-30s, his career would end in much the same way as Roy Jones Jr.
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