Valdez & Benavidez Look To Bigger and Better Things on Crawford-Postol Undercard

From left to right: Francisco "Chia" Santana, Oscar Valdez, Matias Rueda, and Jose Benavidez

This Saturday’s pay-per-view will not only spotlight the main event featuring Terrance “Bud” Crawford and Viktor Postol, but also two young up and coming fighters from the stable of promotional powerhouse, Top Rank. In separate undercard bouts, welterweight Jose Benavidez and featherweight Oscar Valdez look to secure victories that will true contenders in their respective divisions.

 I remember seeing Jose Benavidez first fight back in 2010, on the undercard of Pacquiao versus Margarito. Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Benavidez, 8-0 at the time, was a tall, lanky kid and showed a fiery spirit in that bout against Winston Mathis.  Though Benavidez would stop Mathis in the 3rd round of an entertaining affair, you got the sense that he made the fight tougher than it needed to be and that’s pretty much how his career can be summed up until this point.

Benavidez earned a questionable
decision against Herrera

Hampered by promotional issues and injuries, Benavidez found his big moment on HBO versus the always tough Mauricio Herrera in 2014. Benavidez would look sharp early in the fight, landing his offense at will, but Herrera would weather the storm and take Benavidez deep into the later rounds forcing a close, but questionably scored unanimous decision. The former amateur standout would get the nod versus Herrera and fight two more times with uninspiring performances.

"Chia" Santana beat previously undefeated
Eddie Gomez by UD

This Saturday he fights a highly motivated Franciso “Chia” Santana (24-4-1, 11 KOs), a former sparring partner for Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who appears to be rejuvenated and is looking to capitalize on this huge opportunity with a win of his own.  If the past is any indication, Benavidez is in for a long night as he has a reputation for not taking his career very seriously. Benavidez has a very serious opponent in front of him and if he is able to tap into any of the promise he showed early on in his career, it should be a seriously entertaining fight.

In his last bout Valdez stopped Gradovich in the 4th round

In the co-featured bout of the night, another young fighter will showcase his skills and attempt to put himself in the featherweight title picture.  Also a former amateur standout, the two-time Olympian, Oscar Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) will face undefeated Argentinian knockout artist Matias Rueda (26-0, 23 KOs). Valdez has all of the makings of a future star in the sport. With blazing speed and a willingness to engage with his opponents, Valdez not only tantalizes with his skill set, he also has a crowd pleasing style.

Born in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, Valdez took a rare path to start his boxing career. While most Mexican fighters immediately turn pro at the age of 16 in order to earn money as soon as possible, Valdez competed in Mexico’s amateur ranks and represented Mexico in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games.  Valdez has the pedigree and talent to go far, but he faces his toughest test in Rueda.

Rueda has never fought outside of Argentina

Although Saturday will be the first time both Valdez and Rueda have faced an undefeated fighter, Valdez appears to have faced the higher quality competition. Rueda has never fought outside of his native Argentina, which is usually a bad sign (try telling that to Marcos Maidana or Lucas Matthysse, but I digress).  It is not uncommon for foreign fighters that have “built up” their records fighting in their hometowns to have faced very limited opposition.  Seeing some tape on Rueda, he looks to have genuine power in both hands, particularly the left hook to the body, but whether he has the ability to land that power on Valdez is another story. 

Yes, Terrance Crawford and Viktor Postol have a very important fight of their own tomorrow night, but they aren’t alone. The stakes are high for the fighters on the undercard as well, which should make for an interesting night of boxing all around.  Now the only question might be, will it be worth the $49.99 price tag?  My money is on "yes."

Prediction:
Postol wins via close UD
Valdez off the canvas to win via UD
Benavidez wins via late round stoppage