Collazo vs – Oscar Collazo will fight two weight divisions up against late replacement Neider Valdez on Saturday night, but his 105-lb world titles won’t be on the line. The switch preserves the card and pay for everyone scheduled.
The plan was simple in the beginning: Oscar Collazo would defend his 105-pound world titles on Saturday night. Then, by Wednesday, the night’s main-event shape changed.
Collazo will instead fight two divisions up at flyweight, taking on late replacement Neider Valdez. Valdez was drafted in on Wednesday to replace Joey Canoy, and the fight will no longer be contested in the 105-lb division where Collazo built his name.
That also means Collazo’s world championships won’t be at stake. Collazo is coming in off a perfect slate of 14-0 with 11 knockouts. but every fight he’s had since turning pro has been at the 105-lb limit. where he has established himself as the best in the sport and picked up the WBA and WBO world titles.
At flyweight, he’ll be doing something he hasn’t done in the same way before. Collazo hasn’t fought at this weight since his third pro fight in 2021, and that climb in weight has its own risks—105-lb fighters don’t always move up in weight well, even the really good or great ones.
Still, the bout isn’t going in empty. The WBO will put its “International” flyweight title on the line for Collazo vs Valdez. The WBA, meanwhile, apparently couldn’t come up with a similar regional—or some comparable “make believe trinket”—in time, though that could still change by fight time.
Valdez arrives as a clear underdog, carrying a record of 15-3-2 with 12 knockouts. At age 25, the Mexican is more familiar with this weight class, and that contrast is part of what makes the matchup feel sharper than a typical replacement fight.
The reason the bout is happening the way it is comes down to logistics and certainty. The key good reason for keeping the fight on is so the card doesn’t get scrapped and everyone gets paid as scheduled—not just Collazo, but all the undercard fighters too.
At the weigh-in, Collazo came in at 110½ lbs while Valdez was 111¼, both comfortably under the new 112 lb limit for the bout.
Bad Left Hook will have live results for Collazo vs Valdez starting at 8 pm ET on Saturday night.
Oscar Collazo Neider Valdez Golden Boy flyweight WBO International title WBA titles not on line Saturday night boxing