Oscar Valdez Jr. Further Validates Himself by Stopping Avalos

Chris Avalos’ baby face belies his status. At 25, he shouldn’t be a trialhorse. Yet that’s what he is and he was served up Friday night for Top Rank’s budding undefeated Oscar Valdez Jr. at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in Las Vegas on truTV.

Valdez Jr. (18-0, 15 KO) did what he was supposed to do, chewing up the game Avalos (26-4, 19 KOs), who lost for the second time in his last three fights, over five rounds.

Avalos was slow and sluggish, though he kept coming at Valdez, who starched him in the third with a perfect left hook to the temple that disconnected Avalos’ senses and stiffed him, before he dropped to the canvas with eight seconds left in the round. Referee Russell Mora took a good look at Avalos, who nodded he was able to continue, and he did, though on unsteady legs.

Two rounds later, Valdez Jr., the only two-time Mexican Olympian, mercifully ended it when he landed another left hook right on the top of Avalos’ head, wobbling him again. This time, however, Mora saw enough and immediately stepped in to save him, waving it over at 1:17 of the fifth.

“I did exactly what my father and trainer told me to do and that’s what happened,” Valdez Jr. said. “We knew he was going to keep on throwing that right hand, making him miss and counter punching with that left hook. I had a great training camp. It doesn’t end right here. I was prepared for 10 rounds, but I ended up catching him (in the third). By the third round, he was already hurt so I thought it was a good stoppage. I feel bad for (Avalos). He’s all right and once to continue, but it’s boxing and it’s kind of dangerous. He told me he kept getting hit with that left hook and he couldn’t see it.”

Afterward, Avalos was very disappointed and refused to do the post-fight interview with truTV, probably wondering where his boxing career lies. He had no defense and when he approached Valdez Jr., his tendency to square up gave the Mexican Olympian more of a target to hit.

In the co-feature, Jesse Hart proved you do need two for a fight tango. The 26-year-old Philadelphian notched his fifth-straight victory within the distance, smoking human punching bag Aaron Pryor Jr. Referee Tony Weeks gratefully ended the super middleweight bout at 2:51of the ninth round in a fight that actually didn’t help either combatant.

Hart improved to 18-0, with 15 kayos, while Pryor Jr. (19-9-1, 12 knockouts) should think about retiring. He offered little resistance over the scheduled 10-round affair, and has stuck around mainly on his famous Hall of Fame father’s substantial coattails. Otherwise, seeing Pryor get pounded the way he did against the wide-swinging Hart no one would know he’s the son of all-time great Aaron “The Hawk” Pryor.

It was an incredibly sad display by Pryor, 37, who is now 1-2-1 over his last four fights. He hasn’t won since November 2013. Against Hart, he appeared more and more disinterested with each passing round, even lackadaisical at times, wishing the fight would end. Pryor’s corner kept imploring to do something, anything, yet Pryor Jr. was content getting beat over the head.

Hart, who also has a strong boxing pedigree as the son of legendary Philadelphia middleweight Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, didn’t help his cause much, either. He still seems mired in an amateur style, and though he has looked sharp in previous fights, this one did not do him much justice, even though he won.

If he was in against someone even semi-willing to fight back, Hart may had some trouble. He left himself wide open to be countered up the middle against Pryor. Hart’s goal was to attract more fans with the national TV exposure. And though the nine rounds against Pryor is the longest Hart has ever gone, he’ll have to wait for his next opportunity to gain fans.

Joseph Santoliquito is the president of the Boxing Writer's Association of America and a frequent contributor to Sherdog.com's mixed martial arts and boxing coverage. His archive can be found here.