Quigg vs Valdez: Scott Quigg breaks nose while Oscar Valdez cracks jaw as Mexican wins bloody battle
There was heartbreak for the Brit as he fell to his second pro defeat at a rain-lashed StubHub Center in Carson California
SCOTT QUIGG played his part in a Fight of the Year contender in California – but Oscar Valdez got the nod to retain his belt.
As heavy rain fell on the outdoor StubHub Center here in Carson, the duo served up the war everyone had expected.
Eventually it was WBO champ Valdez who impressed the judges, who all gave him the nod and returned scores of 117-111 (twice) and 118-110.
But the scorecards do not tell the story of a brutal bout in which both men had their moments.
It was later revealed that Valdez broke his jaw in the fourth round, incredibly managing to outpoint his heavier opponent over the next eight.
And in the fifth round Quigg's nose was broken that left him looking near unrecognisable at the final bell.
The fight was only confirmed on Saturday morning after Quigg came in 2.8lbs over at Friday's weigh-in.
Because he came in so heavy, California rules prohibited the Bury man from trying and drop any more weight.
It meant Quigg was unable to win the belt and it was up to WBO champ Valdez and his team to decide whether or not they wanted to fight the heavier Quigg at all.
Hours of negotiations stretched late into Friday evening and an agreement between the two camps finally reached just hours before the first bell at the StubHub.
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Then there was the matter of the incessant rain which fell heavily from around 2pm afternoon and did not stop.
It meant the fighters made their way to the ring beneath a plastic sheet and with carrier bags strapped around their boots. Even the ringcard girls were in hoodies.
The StubHub Center was two-thirds empty with the heavy rain affecting the number of walk-up ticket sales badly.
Some locals said they had not seen rain like it in the area for years and the kids flogging $3 ponchos outside made a killing.
They sold so many plastic sheets that the venue looked like a ghost convention – even Eddie Hearn stuck one on when he took his ringside seat.
Clearly upset that Quigg had deprived them of a legitimate title fight, the Valdez fans in attendance made their presence felt as the Englishman made his way to the ring to Oasis' Rock n Roll Star.
He was booed during the introductions too, but he raised his arms and grinned into the crowd.
From the opening bell, Valdez went straight to work, immediately trying to find a home for his trademark left hook.
Quigg was tucking up well and pressuring Valdez but was clipped with a right hand towards the end of the opening round.
The Mexican switched his attack to the body in the second but Quigg, who had suffered with a stress fracture in his foot during camp, kept coming.
The fight really crackled into life in the fourth round as both men stood in centre ring and traded hard shots – but neither was forced too far backwards.
And the fifth was even better – especially for Quigg – who stiffened Valdez's legs with a crunching right hand that sent the champion back against the ropes.
In the end, he was happy to hear the bell although by now a cut had opened over Quigg's left eye.
Valdez touched down in the sixth but only after a push from Quigg, who got a telling off from referee Lou Moret.
The defending champion had the crowd back on their feet in the 10th when he plunged a left hook into Quigg's ribs but the Bury man sucked it up and went back to work.
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But Valdez was feeling the pace against the bigger man and had blood pouring from his mouth as a result of constant pressure.
He had the wind well and truly taken from his sails in the 11th when Quigg put him down with a horrible right uppercut which landed on the crown jewels.
The ref stopped short of deducting a point, but it would not have mattered anyway as the judges all had Valdez the clear winner anyway.