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★★★★☆ MAIN EVENT

★★☆☆☆ UNDERCARD

WITH a combined professional record of 47-0, super-featherweights Óscar Valdez and Shakur Stevenson meet this Saturday (April 30) in Las Vegas fuelled by the blissful ignorance that chaperones most fighters towards risky business.

Though both have suffered setbacks, as amateurs, their pro careers have so far been relatively straightforward – demonstrated by Valdez winning 30 fights in a row (23 by knockout) and Stevenson winning 17 (9). Added to that, the pair enter this weekend’s fight with one belt apiece (Valdez has the WBC super-featherweight belt; Stevenson has the WBO) and a desire for something greater than shared spoils in the super-featherweight division. Furthermore, with Stevenson ranked number one in the weight class, and Valdez at two, the winner will be recognised by Boxing News as the world champ.

If on a collision course, the Valdez and Stevenson one has been brief, a credit to both. After all, as pawns in a sport that often encourages the swerving of rivals, it would have been quite easy for Valdez and Stevenson to ignore one another and focus only on their ability to argue and boast in a louder