It’s the sixth defense of the WBO Featherweight title for Oscar Valdez (25-0-0, 20KO) Saturday night at the Reno Sparks Convention Center in Reno, Nevada.

The all action Sonora, Mexico native will be taking on Jason Sanchez (14-0-0, 7KO) of Albuquerque, New Mexico after the WBO refused to sanction Valdez’s original opponent Erik Ituarte as a title bout. Ituarte is currently unranked by the WBO while Sanchez comes in at #11 in their rankings.

Having only one ten round bout under his belt, Sanchez admits that he has found himself in the biggest fight of his career faster than he had expected, add to that, it comes against a fighter he has admired coming up in Valdez. It would be an understatement to say this is a significant step up for Sanchez.

Both fighters made their last appearance on the ring on the Eleider Alvarez vs Sergey Kovalev rematch undercard in Frisco, Texas on February 2nd. That night, Valdez took out Italy’s Carmine Tommasone by 7th round knockout, while Sanchez delivered a crushing right hand to take out Mexico’s Daniel Olea.

This will be the second fight for Valdez under the guidance of new trainer Eddy Reynoso, who is well known for his work with Canelo Alvarez and Lightweight prospect Ryan Garcia. Valdez was previously trained by Manny Robles, but made a change after the 2018 battle with Scott Quigg where he suffered a broken jaw on his way to a decision victory.

Reynoso’s goal will be to add head movement and a stronger defensive mentality in the ring to Valdez’s game. Valdez has always been a fan favorite battling through firefights but it’s not a style that can be sustained over the years without wear and tear adding up in a hurry.

Oscar Valdez vs Jason Sanchez will be shown on ESPN Saturday night at 10pm et/7pm PT.