Liam Wilson has vowed to make the most of his second chance to become a world champion, while avenging his controversial loss in his first World Championship bout, when he faces Oscar Valdez on March 29 (March 30 in Australia) in Glendale, Arizona.
The super featherweight shootout will kick off arguably the biggest weekend for Australian fighters in America in boxing history, with Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa fighting in Las Vegas the following day.
For Wilson, the fight represents another chance to fulfill a promise he made to his dying father more than a decade ago.
“I always think about my dad every day and he always helps me get through the tough times,” Wilson said in the key announcement from his training camp in Thailand after US promoter Top Rank officially confirmed the bout today.
“I made a promise to him and I have to keep it. I have two kids now too, so that's an added incentive for the list.
“They are my motivation now too, they travel with me wherever I fight, and I am their hero. I feel it is my duty to do good things like their father, by winning fights.
As his father Peter lay on his deathbed at the age of 52, Wilson – then just an optimistic amateur – promised him that he would one day win a world title.
He thought he had turned that dream into a reality last year when he knocked out WBO super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete in the fourth round. But the fight ended in controversy and heartbreak as the referee allowed Navarrete to recover for about half a minute, eventually stopping the Mexican Wilson in the ninth minute.
Wilson bounced back with two victories to close out 2023, pushing him back into title contention.
Meanwhile, Navarrete is rumored to move up to lightweight, leaving the WBO super featherweight title vacant and up for grabs.
It goes without saying that Wilson would jump at the chance to challenge for the title if it were available against Valdez, but he knows the size of the task ahead of him.
Valdez is a versatile fighter, and is also coming off a loss to Navarrete, in which the 33-year-old dropped an entertaining decision to his compatriot in August.
With two world titles under his belt already, there is a feeling that Valdez's best days are over.
“He's definitely progressing, he's been around a long time and has had some tough battles,” Wilson said. “
“His fight with Navarrete was fun, Valdez had some good times, but I think I gave Navarrete more resistance.
“But I know that tactics lead to fights too, so I try not to look too far into it.
“He's 33 years old, at the end of his career, and he's trying to prove he still has it in him. That makes him even more dangerous.
“I expect a tough fight, that's why I'm training as if my life depends on it.”
The Valdez fight also marks a return to Glendale's Desert Diamond Arena where his dreams failed horribly against Navarrete, and he says he has unfinished business there.
“I wouldn't have it any other way,” he said. “The way it went last time, I lost in controversial fashion, and I wouldn't want to do it any other way than to go back there, to the same place, but this time walk away a winner.
“I got a lot of fans there, and I still have people messaging me about that fight.
“The entire boxing public is excited about it.”
Wilson acknowledged some concerns about officiating and officiating upon his return to Arizona, but he plans to take matters into his own hands.
“There are some concerns, but I plan to win in a good way,” he said. “I'm going out there with a knockout on my mind and that's because of the way the last fight ended.”
The bout kicks off arguably the biggest weekend for Australian boxers in America, with Tszyu headlining his first fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas against Keith Thurman the following day.
The card will also feature Zerafa's long-awaited World Cruiserweight title bout with Erislandy Lara.
“It's very surreal to have three Australians fighting on the other side of the world,” Wilson said. “I'm excited, and I feel honored to be a part of it.
“I will be able to look back on this in years to come and say I was part of a huge weekend of boxing.”
