The unbeaten Briton Archie Sharp (22-0, 9 KOs) is waiting for the decision of the WBO – in the confrontation with the conqueror of two weight divisions, the Mexican Oscar Valdez (30-1, 23 KOs) to determine the owner of the vacant belt of the organization in the second featherweight (up to 59 kg).
In the September ranking, the fighters occupy the 1st and 3rd lines, respectively, in the top 15 from the WBO. Between them is the 2016 Olympic champion Brazilian Robson Conceição, who is expected to lose several positions as he lost in the title attempt to former division leader American Shakur Stevenson.
The WBO belt (as well as the WBC) became ownerless before Stevenson’s fight with Conceição – Shakur did not invest in the weight limit and announced that he would play in the lightweight division next year.
Interestingly, Stevenson took the WBC belt from Valdez – he declassified him in April of this year. Oscar was the WBO featherweight champion from 2016 to 2019.
In fact, the Sharp vs. Valdez fight is much more difficult to organize than it seems to the British. The thing is that Archie previously played for MTK Globalthat is, it is related to the founder of the company, crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who is wanted in the United States.
This means that with a high degree of probability the fighter will be denied a visa. Valdes promoter Bob Arum (Top Rank) and previously promised not to do business with fighters associated with Kinahan – these are representatives of companies MTK Global and Probellum (Sharpe’s current promoter).
Valdes previously had a chance to challenge the WBC title (3rd in the organization’s ranking), but this opportunity disappeared yesterday – his compatriot Vargas was ahead of him: he is going to conquer the third weight division.
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