The Athletic’s Lance Pugmire reports that WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez will kick off his shiny new multi-fight deal with Top Rank against Rio gold medalist Robson Conceicao on September 10th at Tucson, Arizona’s Casino Del Sol.
Bob Arum revealed earlier this month that the fight would land in Arizona in September.
Conceicao (16-0, 8 KO) ran the table at the 2016 Games, beating the likes of Lazaro Alvarez and Sofiane Oumiha without ever surrendering a round. He hasn’t made much of a splash as a pro, however; Luis Coria might be his best professional win, and at 32 years old, it’s past time to step things up.
And what a step this is. Valdez (29-0, 23 KO) stumbled out of the gate at 130 pounds and found himself written off by most against Miguel Berchelt, only to put on a career-best performance and demolish the lethal “Alacran” in February. He figures to be a comfortable favorite here, though you can expect the ESPN crew to milk the Olympic parallels for all they’re worth.