Tucson and Nogales-bred boxer Oscar Valdez will return to his roots to defend the WBC super featherweight belt he picked up in February with a surprise knockout of Miguel Berchelt.
Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) is scheduled to face undefeated Brazilian Robson Conceição (16-0, 8 KOs) on Sept. 10 at Casino Del Sol. The show, which will also feature junior lightweight Gabriel Flores Jr. (20-0, 7 KOs) of Stockton, California, against Luis Alberto Lopez (22-2, 12 KOs) of Mexicali, Mexico, will be streamed via ESPN Plus starting at 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $25 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. July 27 via Etix.com.
“Oscar Valdez is coming off a career-best performance and wants to put on a spectacular showing in front of the great Tucson fans,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said in a statement. “Conceição has been waiting for this shot ever since he turned pro, and having promoted him for his entire career, I know he’ll be at his very best.”
A native of Nogales, Sonora, Valdez spent his elementary school years in Tucson and now lives mostly in Hermosillo. He returned to Tucson in 2017 for one of his six defenses of his WBO world featherweight belt, a 12-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Filipino Genesis Servania at the Tucson Arena.
As amateurs, Valdez and Conceição fought in the gold medal match of the 2009 Pan American Games, when Conceição won by a point.
"I am very excited to fight in my second home,” Valdez said in a statement. “It motivates me to know that I will defend the title in front of my friends and my family, and I will be willing to put it on the line as in all my fights."
The undercard will feature undefeated WBO flyweight world champion Junto Nakatani (21-0, 16 KOs) of Japan against Angel “Tito” Acosta (22-2, 21 KOs) of Puerto Rico. Other scheduled fighters include Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas (9-0, 7 KOs) and Californian lightweight Raymond Muratalla (12-0, 10 KOs).
