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.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
