Liam Wilson secures interim super featherweight world title fight against Oscar Valdez
After a nervous wait, Queensland’s heartbreak kid Liam Wilson has got confirmation he will be fighting for a world title this weekend.
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It’s official. Queensland’s heartbreak kid Liam Wilson has secured his shot at world-title redemption.
After a nervous wait, Wilson has received a huge shot in the arm with authorities confirming his blockbuster against Oscar Valdez on Saturday in Arizona will be a showdown for the WBO interim super featherweight world title.
The WBO’s decision gives Wilson a golden chance to atone for his gut-wrenching loss to Emanuel Navarrete for the very same title at the same venue in Glendale’s Diamond Desert Arena.
Wilson was sweating on WBO officials rubber-stamping the Valdez bout as an interim world-title contest given that defending champion Navarrete has moved up one division to face Denys Berinchyk for lightweight gold on May 18.
On Wednesday morning, the WBO came to the party, giving Wilson a second chance at righting the wrongs of his controversial Mexican “robbery” against Navarrete 13 months ago.
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Should Wilson (13-2) defeat Valdez (31-2), he would clinch the WBO interim world-title _ and almost certainly be elevated to full champion when Navarrete steps into the ring six weeks later in San Diego.
“We’re elated, it’s great news for Liam,” said his promoter, No Limit boss George Rose.
“This was going to be the fight of his life and now he is fighting for the WBO interim world title.
“It was only a year ago that his dream got taken away from him with that ridiculous 27-second count against Navarrete, but Liam has rebuilt and he is now back in the same situation at the same venue.
“This is the same position Tim Tszyu was in 12 months ago when he fought Tony Harrison for the interim world title.
“Liam will fight for this world title and if he beats Valdez, he would be elevated to world-champion status in May when Navarrete fights.
“I have been hanging by the phone for the last month to hopefully hear the WBO tell us this is a world-title fight and to have that confirmed, it’s super exciting.”
The WBO’s call puts an exclamation mark on a magical weekend for Australian boxing, with Wilson, Tszyu and Melbourne’s Michael Zerafa to all fight for world titles in the space of 24 hours.
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After Wilson takes on Valdez, Tszyu will fight Sebastian Fundora for two super welterweight world titles at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, while Zerafa takes on Erislandy Lara for the WBA middleweight strap on the undercard.
Rose hailed the title trifecta for Australia’s boxing triumvirate and is confident Wilson will exorcise the demons of his loss to Navarrete by conquering the world in Arizona.
“It is deja vu but Liam knows what he is running into this time,” Rose said.
“He knows the arena. He knows what the walk out is like and that no officials will help him out. He knows what he has to do.
“We were confident it would be deemed a world title fight knowing that Navarrete has gone up to the lightweight division and he is fighting for a world title at 135.
“This moment for Liam Wilson … he had his dream taken away 12 months ago, but now he is fighting for the same title that was taken out of his hands. It’s a special moment.
“It’s a magnificent 24 hours for Australian boxing.
“In a 24-hour period we could have two world champions in the No Limit stable in Liam Wilson and Tim Tszyu.
“It doesn’t get any better.”
The 28-year-old Wilson is determined not to fall at the final hurdle again.
“This is my world-title fight,” he said.
“The odds will have me as the underdog, but I love the big fights and the bigger stages.
“I won’t be satisfied until I’m champion of the world.”
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