Oscar Valdez was convincingly beaten by Emanuel Navarrete sixteen months ago, as “Vaquero” battered and bruised his fellow Mexican while comfortably cruising to a unanimous decision win.

Valdez was competitive at times, but the overall one-sided nature of the clash did not leave many desiring for a sequel that is set for December 7 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

But ever since the first fight, both of their careers have gone in different directions.

Navarrete (38-2-1, 31 KOs) settled for a majority draw against Robson Conceicao in November 2023, a fighter Valdez had beaten via unanimous decision in 2021. And last time out in May, Navarrete suffered a split decision loss to Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title.

Valdez (32-2, 24 KOs), meanwhile, bounced back with a demolition job of Liam Wilson in March, stopping the Australian inside seven rounds for the vacant WBO interim title.

It was the title the three-division beltholder Navarrete moved on from to fight Berinchyk, but after his failed attempt at a 135-pound run, Navarrete is going back down to challenge Valdez for the title he once held.

“Not everyone gets a second chance. I will make the most of it. I’m not wasting days,” said Valdez, who is coached by Eddy Reynoso. “I know what to expect from Navarrete. I know what to train for. I’ve trained hard and smart for this fight. In the first fight, I made several mistakes. My biggest mistake was trying to knock out my opponent. I always want to give the fans what they pay for, but I focused on the knockout instead of sticking to my game plan.”

Valdez is a former 126 and 130-pound titleholder whose career-defining win so far came from a crushing KO against Miguel Berchelt in 2021. The momentous win was followed by a decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in 2022 and a bounce-back win against Adam Lopez before he met Navarrete in August 2023.

“I have a few more battles left in me,” said Valdez. “I feel great. I showed I had a lot left in my last fight when I beat Liam Wilson. I was emotional because I knew beating Wilson would punch my ticket to an even bigger fight. I am excited to be sharing the ring with a warrior like ‘Vaquero’ again.”