Oscar Valdez’s impressive victory over Miguel Berchelt

On February 20, 2021, two of the hardiest working Super Featherweights in the sport of Boxing faced off in The Bubble at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada to battle for the World Boxing Council’s Super Featherweight Title
In his battle for the Super Featherweight Title versus Miguel “El Alacran” Berchelt (37-1, 33 KOs) of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico (l), it appears Oscar Valdez (28-0, 23 KOs) (r) from West Covina, Calif. by way of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico would employ any tactic to win, even if it meant devouring his opponent’s boxing glove.
The earlier Berchelt knockdowns came in rounds four and eight.

In Saturday’s contest, it didn’t take that long before you knew who had more stamina, had the quicker hands, which was landing the sharper punches and which would end up winning the title.

In the final round, round 10, it was all about timing. After Berchelt had thrown his lackluster three-punch combination, there was Oscar Valdez with his well timed, full blast, solid left hook landing squarely in the middle of his opponent’s face.
After landing that perfectly delivered, lights-out punch to drop Berchelt, we see the overjoyed Oscar Valdez jumping high in the air.
At that point the medical team rushed to care for the unconscious boxer.
Looks can be deceiving when your body is as clearly defined as Miguel Berchelt.
And who can we fault after he looked this good in the final weeks of training?

At this point, the Berchelt backers might want to argue that their champion was still dealing with the effects of his bout with that dreaded Corona 19 Virus. Perhaps the date of his rescheduled Title Fight had come too soon to allow Berchelt to recover fully as far as his breathing, having the same heart rate, ability to resume the same eating and sleeping habits plus have the same lightning fast mental capacity. Like any athlete or tradesmen, Berchelt learned his craft through exploration. He was given the freedom to explore, screw up and start over. In the lead up to this title fight, did Miguel Berchelt, his manager and staff allow him the necessary recuperative time to make certain he was right back to his former self. Who do you know who could immediately return to school and get the very same high grades on a science test after being out of school for three weeks with a serious illness?    

Berchelt has since explained that in training he did feel a lot different.

Without regard for all the damaging blows thrown during Saturday night’s contest, how heartwarming was it to watch these warriors hug after the stoppage. Take special note of Valdez’s heartfelt concern as he knelt in front of Berchelt who was still recovering from the devastating blow.

With both men in their prime, Valdez 30 and Berchelt 29, you know a rematch is likely and perhaps we’ll see a trilogy. The fact Mr. Berchelt had trouble making weight for this fight leads one to believe he might be moving up in weight to 140 lbs. to compete against the likes of Gervonta Davis, Vasyl Lomachenko, Teofimo Lopez, Richard Commey, Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney. Only Berchelt knows for sure the negatives or positives of weighing in at a certain weight which may make him look extremely fit but at the same time rob him of the strength and power needed on fight night.

After his loss to Valdez, Berchelt sent a message to his fans stating he wanted to thank everyone for writing to him, showing their support and wishing him well. “Thank God I’m fine. I’ll be back even stronger.” Being a true sportsman, Miguel Berchelt also congratulated his opponent. 

Local hero Miguel Berchelt arrives home to an adoring family and devoted fans.
The Miguel Berchelt boxing team in transit.
It’s almost as if the new champion is telling his fans to keep the news to themselves. The burden of winning the WBC World Title has now placed a target on his back. That being said, our heartfelt congratulations to Oscar Valdez who through his tireless preparation and determination, monitored by a training staff second to none, led to the defeat of the much accomplished Miguel Berchelt.
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