SHOCK MOVE: OSCAR VALDEZ OFFICIALLY LEAVES TOP RANK TO BECOME A FREE AGENT
Oscar Valdez is officially a promotional free agent. Explore his potential moves to Zuffa Boxing, Matchroom, or Golden Boy in 2026.
Oscar Valdez is a free agent now.
After years with Top Rank, the former two-division world champ is on his own. He turned 35 recently, and you can feel the shift in his career. Things just aren’t the same as they used to be.
He last fought in September, back home in Mexico, after getting stopped by Emanuel Navarrete at the end of 2024. That win helped steady things, but it didn’t exactly bring the old buzz back. He’s dropped three of his last six, including two to Navarrete and a clear-cut loss to Shakur Stevenson at junior lightweight.
Those losses made it pretty obvious where he stands now. Valdez still trains hard; the work ethic’s still there, but against younger champs with quick hands and sharp timing, he’s got less room to operate. The fights have started to take more out of him.
Still, none of that erases what he’s already done.
Back in 2016, Valdez grabbed the WBO featherweight title and held it until 2019. In 2021, he knocked out Miguel Berchelt to take the WBC junior lightweight belt. Go further back, and you get the Scott Quigg fight—Valdez finished the bout with a broken jaw, just pure grit. Those moments built his reputation long before the recent setbacks.
Now he’s training with Manny Robles and says he wants to fight again in the first half of 2026, maybe chase one last title. Whether that actually happens depends less on his drive and more on who he fights and where those fights land.
There’s one path that makes sense.
Zuffa Boxing is still putting together its roster and could use a veteran like Valdez—somebody who knows how to handle the spotlight and the grind. He’s got name recognition, carries himself like a pro, and that platform would keep expectations realistic while still giving him real fights.
Other promoters will probably check in, too. Matchroom Boxing has Eduardo Nunez at junior lightweight. Queensberry Promotions holds a belt with Jazza Dickens. And Valdez’s manager, Frank Espinoza, has connections with Golden Boy Promotions.
There’s going to be interest, just not as much leverage as before.
Valdez isn’t the guy people build their plans around anymore. He’s deciding how to leave boxing, not how to take it over again.
REVENGE MISSION: EDDIE HEARN SIGNS UFC CHAMP TOM ASPINALL AFTER LOSING CONOR BENN
Eddie Hearn strikes back: Read about Tom Aspinall signing with Matchroom, Conor Benn’s $15M Zuffa deal, and the Dana White rivalry.
Dana White, the boss at UFC and the man behind Zuffa Boxing, just snagged Conor Benn away from Eddie Hearn. Although if we’re being honest, Benn did a lot of the heavy lifting himself with that $15 million price tag.
White was quick to celebrate, maybe a little too loudly, especially on the UFC side, but Hearn didn’t let him have the spotlight for long. Not even a week later, Hearn fired back by announcing he’d signed UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall to the Matchroom Talent Agency.
This back-and-forth between Hearn and White is turning into one of the more interesting rivalries in combat sports right now.
Zuffa Boxing’s move to grab Benn for a one-fight, $15 million deal definitely made waves. Benn, after all, spent ten years fighting under Hearn’s banner before jumping ship. Hearn hasn’t been shy about how much the move stings, especially since he’s been trading barbs with White nonstop.
But Hearn’s not just sitting around feeling sorry for himself. He went public on Instagram, welcoming Aspinall to the Matchroom squad. “Welcome to the team, UFC Heavyweight Champ @tomaspinallofficial,” Hearn posted. “Time to get what’s yours @matchroomtalentagency.”
It’s just the latest shot in their ongoing feud. White’s been out there calling Hearn soft for getting emotional about Benn leaving. Hearn, never one to back down, fired back in an interview, saying White doesn’t care about his fighters at all.
“I hear people’s comments, like Dana White calling me names and Terence Crawford asking if I actually care about these guys,” Hearn said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect, but we’re not like Dana White and his crew. They don’t give a damn about the fighters.
“Have you ever seen Dana White show any emotion when someone wins? He just hands over the belt, does a press conference, then heads home to his mansion with a cigar and a glass of whisky, thinking, ‘Life is sweet; we just made $800 million this year.’”
So what do you think about Tom Aspinall teaming up with Hearn’s agency? Is this a good move for Aspinall, or is it going to cause problems down the line? Let’s hear your thoughts.
MAYWEATHER VS. PACQUIAO 2: CAN THE LAS VEGAS SPHERE BREAK REVENUE RECORDS?
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 at the Sphere! Read about the $4,000+ ticket prices, the 17,600 capacity, and new streaming rumours.
When it comes to the Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao rematch, the choice of venue, Las Vegas Sphere, changes the game. You just can’t rely on ticket sales the way you could back in 2015. There’s only so much space, and that puts a cap on one of the biggest money-makers from their first fight.
People are already throwing around some wild numbers about how much this rematch could pull in. They keep looking back at that first fight, which still holds the record for the highest-grossing boxing event ever.
Back then, they raked in about $72 million from just over 16,000 fans at the MGM Grand. The Sphere isn’t much bigger at best; you get 17,600 seats, and that’s if you squeeze in every last one. So, even if you max out the space, you’re only adding about 1,300 seats. That’s not a game-changer.
So, how do you make more money? It comes down to charging more for tickets. The 2015 fight already had an average ticket price north of $4,000. To top that, promoters need to crank up the prices for premium seats and VIP experiences.
Mayweather hasn’t fought since he stopped Conor McGregor in 2017. Pacquiao came back last year and fought Mario Barrios to a draw for the WBC welterweight title. Even now, both guys are still huge names. Their first fight had the whole world watching, and it paid off big time.
But this second act could look different. In 2015, the pay-per-view model pulled in a record 4.6 million buys in the U.S. This time, there’s talk about going with a streaming deal instead. If that happens, most of the money comes from broadcast rights and sponsorships, not just people splurging on tickets.
The Sphere itself will give the rematch a unique vibe. But with the limited number of seats, what really matters is how they price those tickets and how much they can bring in from media rights. The days of packing in way more fans for the gate are over, at least for this fight.
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