Oscar Valdez vs Liam Wilson now for interim WBO title

Emanuel Navarrete is currently the WBO super featherweight titleholder.

Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson will be fighting for the interim WBO super featherweight title on Friday, a move that was probably in the works for a while and is now official.

Emanuel Navarrete holds the WBO title at 130 lbs, but is set to move up in May to fight Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title.

If Navarrete wins the 135 lb belt in May and decides that’s the division he’s staying at, then the Valdez-Wilson winner will be elevated from interim to full champ status with the sanctioning body.

In other words, this is actually a totally reasonable interim situation from the WBO, basically getting six weeks ahead of something.

Now if Navarrete were to win in May and decide not to stay at 135, or he lost to Berinchyk and decided to come back down to 130 to defend his title, the Valdez-Wilson winner would be in line to face him again.

Valdez (31-2, 23 KO) and Wilson (13-2, 7 KO) both lost to Navarrete in 2023. Wilson was stopped in the ninth round of a very competitive fight in February, while Valdez suffered a decision loss to Navarrete in August.

At the moment, Valdez is a -350 betting favorite with DraftKings Sportsbook, with Wilson at +265. These are pretty competitive odds for the average boxing main event.

Friday’s show, which will air exclusively on ESPN+, will also feature an undisputed women’s 105 lb championship clash between Seniesa Estrada and Yokasta Valle.