Oscar Valdez defeats Medina in Nogales, Sonora by unanimous decision

Oscar Valdez returned to Mexican soil and to the win column Saturday night, edging Ricky Medina by unanimous decision in a 10-round super featherweight main event at the Domo Binacional in Nogales, Sonora. The 34-year-old former two-division world champion and the 24-year-old San Antonio native both weighed in at 127.9 pounds before the fight, which was promoted by Top Rank and televised on ESPN Deportes.

Valdez, who was fighting in Mexico for the first time since 2013, improved to 33-3 with 24 knockouts while Medina fell to 16-3 with nine. The judges scored the bout 97-93, 98-92 and 100-90 in favor of Valdez; some reports published alternate tallies but all three official cards awarded the victory to the hometown fighter. Valdez had been coming off a sixth-round knockout loss last December to Emanuel Navarrete in a rematch for the WBO junior lightweight title and had won only two of his previous five fights.

The fight unfolded as a contest between Valdez’s experience and Medina’s youth and pressure. Valdez opened brightly but did not find consistent rhythm until the middle rounds, relying on movement, jab and counterpunching early before mixing heavier work to the head and body...