Photo: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

By Fightnews.com

World featherweight champion Oscar Valdez is back training in Southern California and looking forward to another big year in 2017. After winning his first world championship in 2016 the former Mexican Olympian is working hard to maintain the belt he worked so hard to get.

“Everyone in boxing always says that is easier to become a world champion then to remain one. So I know that I will have to work harder to keep it and that what intent to do in 2017,” said Valdez, as he began his training two weeks ago in Carson, California.

Valdez from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico is back at work with Manny Robles and Edgar Jasso at the Rock Gym, alongside of new world champion Jessie Magdaleno and Olympic medalist Michael Conlan among others in the Robles expanding roster of boxers.

“Right now is just about getting back in training mode and doing things to get ready for whatever is next. I like working with Manny and Edgar because we are always doing something new to get in the best shape possible and to become the best boxer we can be,” said Valdez.

Valdez, started last year in April with a big win over former world champion Evgany Gradovich, in July he won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion by stopping Martin Rueda of Argentina and in November in his first world title defense he stopped the number one ranked challenger Hiroshige Osawa of Japan in the seventh round.

“We did a lot of hard work getting ready for those fights and I was happy to take a break after my last fight. It gave me time to recuperate and to spend some time at home, but I was ready to get back to work and to start working for an even bigger 2017,” said Valdez.

All of Valdez fights last year took place in Las Vegas as part of the undercards of Manny Pacquiao and Terence Crawford fights.