Collazo Blows Away Valdez In Two — Now He Wants 112

Right Then, That Was Quick

Right then, if you blinked you missed it. Oscar Collazo needed less than two full rounds to take care of late replacement Neider Valdez at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, retaining his Ring, WBA and WBO strawweight titles in brutal, businesslike fashion. The unbeaten Puerto Rican moves to 15-0 with 12 knockouts, and he did not hang about. Referee Thomas Taylor waved it off in the second after Valdez had been put on the canvas three times. This was a champion doing exactly what a champion should do to a short-notice opponent — no mercy, no messing about.

A Mismatch From The Bell

Let's not beat around the bush — this was a mismatch, and Collazo treated it like one. From the opening bell he walked Valdez down, picked his shots and started teeing off. The first knockdown took the fight out of the challenger, and the next two were just formalities. Collazo's accuracy and timing at strawweight are levels above almost everyone in the division, and Valdez simply had no answer. You can't fault Collazo for the quality of opponent — that wasn't his doing. What you judge him on is how he handles his business, and he was clinical. That's exactly what you want from a pound-for-pound-level operator.

Canoy Out, Valdez In

This was never meant to be Valdez's night. Collazo was originally due to face Joey Canoy, but Canoy was pulled during fight week over visa issues, and Golden Boy scrambled to find a replacement. Valdez took the fight on short notice, and credit to him for stepping up when plenty wouldn't — but he was always swimming against the tide against a champion of this calibre.

Next: Flyweight Gold

The most interesting bit came after the final bell. Collazo made it clear he wants to move up to 112lbs and chase a flyweight world title. And do you know what? I'm all for it. The strawweight division is running short of names that genuinely test him, and a fighter this good shouldn't be treading water waiting for challengers who can't live with him. Make no mistake, Collazo at flyweight is a brilliant prospect for the sport. He's got the skills, the power and the ambition to announce himself two divisions deep. Give him the move, give him a big name at 112, and let's see just how high the ceiling really is. My prediction? He becomes a two-weight world champion inside eighteen months.