Liam Wilson’s career in tatters after TKO loss to Oscar Valdez
Liam Wilson’s career is in tatters after the Queensland slugger suffered fresh world-title heartbreak with a gut-wrenching TKO loss to Oscar Valdez in Arizona on Saturday.
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Liam Wilson’s career is in tatters after the Queensland slugger suffered fresh world-title heartbreak with a gut-wrenching TKO loss to Oscar Valdez in Arizona on Saturday.
The Diamond Desert Arena became Wilson’s house of horrors, with the braveheart Australian crashing to a second world-title defeat in 13 months at the Glendale venue as Valdez continued the Mexican misery.
Wilson (13-3, 7KO) had vowed to atone for his controversial loss to Emanuel Navarrete last year by seeking revenge against his fellow Mexican Valdez (32-2, 24KO) in the battle for the interim WBO super featherweight world title.
But Mr Damage was left battered and broken hearted yet again after being stopped in the seventh round by a Mexican mauler who refused to lose.
It was another painful defeat for Wilson, who again fought brilliantly, winning the early rounds and even earning the respect of Valdez, who later conceded the kid from Caboolture nearly “had me”.
But that will be little consolation for the 28-year-old, who was left to lament a brutal seventh round, when Valdez destroyed Wilson with a furious flurry of punches before the referee intervened with 12 seconds left.
Wilson made a deathbed promise to win a world title for his late father Peter, but this latest Mexican setback is a crippling blow to his hopes of conquering the world.
“That’s the way boxing goes, since I was a young kid, I dreamed of being in these fights,” said Wilson, who suffered his third defeat from his past seven bouts.
“It’s still early in my career, this was my 16th fight. I want more hard ones, line them up.
“I’m still young, I have a lot of years to go in this sport ... I’ll be back.”
A shattered Wilson later lamented erring tactically in the third round, when he invited Valdez into the contest by fighting in the pocket after winning the first two rounds keeping him at range.
Wilson was looking beautiful as he outboxed Valdez in the opening 360 seconds. But Mr Damage’s will to bang got the better of him.
“I tried to box the first few rounds, but my heart got the better of me,” he said.
“I want to be in tough fights, but it’s probably not the best.
“I have to learn from it and start using my boxing brain.
“He was a bit tricky inside, I thought I hurt him to the body, but Oscar is a true champion.
“My heart gets the better of me ... I’m sorry.”
Looking noticeably bigger than Valdez, Wilson showed great distance control from the opening seconds. Despite a bloodied nose in the second round, he looked sharp with a fusion of precise jabs and sweet left rips which kept Valdez on the back foot.
Valdez showed more activity in the fourth round as the pair began to trade inside, the Mexican warrior stunning the Queenslander with some well-timed left and right hooks.
By the sixth round, the contest became a powderkeg as Wilson peppered Valdez, who responded with a powerful right uppercut and a crunching left counter hook to surge back into the fight.
Valdez’s experience as a two-division world champion came to the fore in the seventh. He stepped up the pace and when he went for the jugular with a bombardment of vicious lefts and rights, a staggering Wilson had nowhere to hide as he was ground into the American desert dust.
“You almost got me,” he told Wilson backstage. “You’re a slight second from being a world champ.”
The 33-year-old Valdez looked vulnerable early and admitted Wilson almost realised his world-title dream.
“Several times he nearly had me, he did hurt my ribs, he can punch,” Valdez said.
“It crossed my mind a few times (retirement), but I wanted to be an example that you might lose in life and boxing.
“It’s got to be up there with my best wins. I refused to give up, a lot of people wrote me off ... I’m crying again but this time it’s joy.
“I said to Liam not to give up.
“I lost before, but it doesn’t mean you are done.
“He almost got me. I have to take my hat off to him. I know he can be a world champion.”
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Originally published as Liam Wilson’s career in tatters after TKO loss to Oscar Valdez
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