Boxing Challenge: Stevenson dominates Valdez

    Shakur Stevenson faced his toughest career test and while I wouldn't say that Oscar Valdez was flicked aside with ease, Stevenson dominated most of the fight and won a lopsided unanimous decision over Valdez to add the WBC junior lightweight title to his own WBO championship.

The fight was competitive for the first five rounds and although I scored only one for Valdez (the third) Stevenson wasn't dominating until he scored the fight's only knockdown in round six on a right hand that dropped Valdez seat-first along the ropes.

Valdez wasn't hurt and rose quickly but the fight was never close again as Valdez's rushes became more clumsy as the fight moved on and only the tenth would go into his column on my card.

The scorecards reflected that with Stevenson taking scores of 117-110 and two of 118-109, which is how I saw the fight.

Stevenson stated that he wanted the other two champions in the division but fights against WBA champion Roger Gutierrez and IBF beltholder Kenichi Ogawa are likely to be less competitive than Valdez against the young champion, few would be excited over those fights, and unless Top Rank was willing to overpay, I don't see either wanting to hand over their titles to Stevenson.

The easy take is comparing Stevenson with a young Floyd Mayweather and I can see where some would say that with the speed and skill of both fighters.

However, there are differences and Stevenson is a little more willing to engage in the pocket than Mayweather (even young Floyd) and he's not quite as elusive as Floyd could be.

Stevenson will not face an opponent to challenge him for quite a while but if you are interested in a possible future opponent to test Stevenson- root for Devin Haney to dethrone and then win his rematch against George Kambosis.

Haney's recent move to Top Rank makes this fight possible, as well as a Stevenson-Vasily Lomachenko match that would be easy to make, are the two most likely top opponents for Stevenson, although I have my fingers crossed for a Gervonta Davis break from Mayweather Productions for a superfight that should take place in either Baltimore or Washington.

In the co-feature to the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano battle (which Taylor won via split decision, while I had Serrano a slight victor), a crossroads battle between veteran junior middleweights almost stole the show as Liam Smith and Jessie Vargas slugged it out toe to toe before the smaller Vargas eventually wilted with Smith scoring the tenth round stoppage.

Vargas won the first two rounds but as Smith began to assert his strength, the naturally larger fighter began to control the exchanges as he frequently trapped Vargas along the ropes and pounded him into the corner.

Both fighters bled throughout the bout and even though the exciting main event overshadowed a very good affair.

Smith should move up in the rankings of the WBO after winning a minor title and I'd wager he'll be in another crossroads fight next fight out.

As for Vargas, he should try to drop back to welterweight, if he can make the weight as he simply doesn't have the power to keep the stronger junior middleweights off him.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 69 Pts (3)

Vince Samano: 59 (3) 

Ramon Malpica: 56 (2)