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Óscar Valdez has just captured the WBO interim junior lightweight title with a seventh-round TKO over Australian prospect, Liam Wilson. While the win is one Valdez will treasure for years to come, which was evident by his reaction upon claiming victory, there is an asterisk next to it.
The TKO stemmed from the referee stepping in to call an end to the bout after Wilson appeared to be on wobbly legs after eating several shots from a constant stream of Valdez combinations. Unfortunately, the match official's decision was decried online, sparking controversy.
Check out Óscar Valdez's TKO over Liam Wilson:
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Several fans took to X/Twitter to criticize the referee's call, with one fan branding the stoppage as terrible.
"Terrible stoppage... YOU HAVE TO LET THE MAN AT LEAST HIT THE GROUND. THAT REF SHOULD BE fired......."
Another fan echoed this and dismissed the logic behind the referee's decision.
"That stoppage was a joke. Not even one knockdown and decided to step in with 12 seconds left."
One fan even went as far as labeling the outcome a gift on Valdez's behalf.
"Gift"
Others merely doubled down on the talk of the TKO being the result of an early stoppage.
"That was an early stoppage imo."
A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:
The win is the first for the Mexican knockout artist since a prior unanimous decision loss to Emanuel Navarrete, against whom he fought for the then WBO super featherweight title. For now, Valdez will celebrate the fruits of his labor but will likely be unhappy with the verdict some fans will have on his win.
Óscar Valdez's boxing record
Óscar Valdez spent the majority of his career with a spotless, undefeated record. He went 30-0 before a fateful encounter with Shakur Stevenson, another unbeaten star, saw him lose his WBC super featherweight title and fail to capture the WBO and The Ring super featherweight straps.
Check out Óscar Valdez getting dropped by Shakur Stevenson:
While he bounced back with a win over Adam Lopez, he subsequently defeated Emanuel Navarrete. Fortunately, he has found himself back in the win column after beating Liam Wilson, bringing his record to 32-2.
