Valdez defeats Quigg to keep WBO feather belt

Fightnews.com

By Miguel Maravilla at ringside

WBO featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (24-0, 19 KOs) won a brutal twelve round unanimous decision over Scott Quigg (34-2-2, 25 KOs) on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Quigg failed to make weight, but Valdez still needed to beat him to keep his WBO title.

From the start, Valdez was landing the big punches connectin Quigg with a huge right in the opening round. Quigg came right at Valdez in round two as they stood in the pocket trading. Attacking on the inside in the third Valdez connected with the left hook to the body a couple of times. In the fifth Valdez tagged Quigg cutting his left eye as Quigg responded with a huge right. It was a wild sixth round as Quigg and Valdez traded, the champion began bleeding heavily from his mouth.

The seventh round saw Quigg’s cut trickling blood as Valdez kept his distance boxing. Quigg and Valdez both were bleeding in the eighth. The war continued in the ninth as Valdez landed good combinations inside, Quigg responded with pressure. In the championship rounds, it was all-out war as the fighters traded to the final bell.

Scores were 117-111, 117-111, 118-110. Valdez suffered a broken jaw and Quigg had a broken nose.