Liam Wilson (13-3, 7 KOs) stated that he has no intentions of retiring after his seventh-round TKO loss to former two-division world champion Oscar Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs) last Friday night at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Wilson, 28, was behind on two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage with the following scores: 59-54, 60-54, and 57-57.
It was easy to see where Wilson made mistakes that contributed to him losing to the older, smaller, and weaker 33-year-old Valdez. These were the areas that cost Wilson the fight:
– Brawling
– Not staying on outside to use his reach
– Failing to tie up Valdez after hurt
– Letting Valdez get his shots off
– Not jabbing enough
Strong Start by Wilson
Valdez took some massive shots from Wilson in the first two rounds and was hurt during one instance when he was hit with a beltline shot, which was perfectly legal, but he signaled to the referee, Mark Nelson, that he’d been hit low.
The referee then gave Valdez enough of a break to recover from the shot, which prevented Wilson from capitalizing on him being hurt. We’ll never know what would have happened if the referee hadn’t given Oscar time to recover from the body shot from Wilson.
Valdez pulled a veteran trick like Emanuel Navarrete had when Wilson knocked him down last year.
Navarrete spit out his mouthpiece after being knocked down, and the referee gave him what many fans felt was a long count, allowing him to survive.
Valdez made it through the first three rounds to come on strong and get the better of Wilson in rounds three through seven to get the knockout and win the interim WBO 130-lb title. The inside fighting by Valdez was the key to his victory.
Valdez Acknowledges Wilson as a Tough Opponent
“He almost had me a couple of times. He carries a punch,” Valdez said after the fight about Wilson’s power.”I want to be an example. In boxing, you might lose. In life, you might lose. But you have an obligation to come back strong.”
Valdez added that he wants to fight in unification fights next. One possible option for him could be WBC champion O’Shaquie Foster, who expressed interest in fighting him next.
“I tried to box for the first few rounds, but my heart got the better of me,” said Wilson. “I’ve got to learn from it. It is what it is. Oscar’s a great champion, and it’s an honor to share the ring with him. I’m 28 years old, it’s my 16th fight, I’ve got plenty more to give.”
Wilson must learn fast because he’s lost two out of his last four fights and will be turning 29 soon. Having a 13-3 record at 29 ain’t good. He showed the same flaws in his fight with Valdez that he did against Navarrete, and you can bet that everyone he faces from now on will follow the blueprint created by those fighters.
