Oscar Valdez and Liam Wilson will fight for the WBO interim super featherweight title on Friday, something that has likely been in the works for some time and is now official.

Emanuel Navarrete holds the WBO 130-pound title, but is scheduled to advance to fight Denys Berinchyk for the vacant WBO lightweight title in May.

If Navarrete wins the 135-pound belt in May and decides that’s the division he’s staying in, then the Valdez-Wilson winner will be elevated from interim to full champion status, at the sanctioning body’s discretion.

In other words, this is actually a perfectly reasonable transitional situation for the WBO, essentially moving something forward six weeks.

Now, if Navarrete won in May and decided not to stay at 135, or lost to Berinchyk and decided to drop to 130 to defend his title, the Valdez-Wilson winner would be in line to face him again.

Valdez (31-2, 23 KO) and Wilson (13-2, 7 KO) lost to Navarrete in 2023. Wilson was stopped in the ninth round of a highly competitive fight in February, while Valdez suffered a decision loss to Navarrete in August.

At this point, Valdez is a -350 betting favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, with Wilson at +265. These are quite competitive odds for the average major boxing event.

Friday’s show, which will air exclusively on ESPN+, will also feature an undisputed women’s 105-pound championship clash between Seniesa Estrada and Yokasta Valle.

This is Frank Smith from Matchroom ESPN that Regis Prograis is an incredible fight for Dalton Smith, fresh off a win over Jose Zepeda last weekend, and while he’s certainly on the table, he’s not the only option for Smith at this point.

However, Matchroom still has Prograis under contract and believes a fight between Smith and Prograis would go a long way towards establishing Smith as a true world-class player.

“Let’s see where he goes in the rankings to see how far he is from a world title shot, but Regis Prograis is a great fight, it would be an amazing fight,” Frank Smith told ESPN. “We also represent Regis, but that would show the level Dalton Smith is at. But there are still many substantial fights ahead of us, let’s see.”

Smith has established himself on the British scene, but doesn’t deny that this is a dream opportunity for him to be able to cross the Atlantic and take part in some substantial fights in the States.

After Dalton Smith’s victory last weekend, Smith challenged Adam Azim to a fight, but now their team believes that Azim is not very keen on making it happen considering how good Smith just looked in the ring.

“I think the reality is what they are [Azim’s team] I wanted to see how Saturday would go and I was hoping he would lose, but he ended up coming out spectacularly, which makes him even more reluctant to fight,” said Frank Smith.

So it appears that if a fight with Azim is not possible or not arranged in the near future, Matchroom and Smith will turn their attention elsewhere, and a fight against the former world champion in Prograis may be the right move to continue growing his stock.

After coming close to winning WBC gold last October, super featherweight Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez returns to action on a DAZN doubleheader on May 11 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Hernandez (34-2, 31 KO) is effortless to root for. He’s an incredibly entertaining fighter who bounced back from a 2019 defeat that could have derailed his career and fought his way to a title shot. His first bout for gold saw him overwhelm O’Shaquie Foster for much of the fight and gained an insurmountable lead heading into the championship rounds, but he ultimately succumbed to a stoppage with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

The first stop on the road to his return will be his fight against Daniel Lugo (27-2-1, 18 KO), who also fell brief of a career-defining victory when he opted for a majority draw with Mauricio Lara last month. He’s a solid test for Hernandez as he has the courage and fortitude needed to stand up to a formidable puncher, and I’m glad he’s getting another chance after likely getting kicked out.

“People haven’t paid attention to me since I lost,” Hernandez said. “On May 11, I will make a statement: ‘Rocky never left.’

“First of all, I would like to thank God, Matchroom, Paco Damián and my team for another amazing opportunity,” Lugo said. “We are back in the gym, working strenuous and preparing for war. Rocky Hernandez is one of the best fighters in my category, but I’m ready for the challenge.

“I know how significant this fight is, a victory over Rocky Hernandez will open up many great opportunities. We will show the Mexican War to all boxing fans who watch DAZN.

In this collaboration, WBA super bantamweight champion Erika Cruz (17-2, 3 KO) will face mandatory challenger Nazarena Romero (13-0-1, 7 KO), one of a seemingly endless number of standout Argentine women hiding in the lower importance of the activity. Cruz had three fights in 2023, where she lost to Amanda Serrano for fight of the year, bounced back after a pliable touch in Tijuana, then dropped down to 122 pounds and beat Mayerlin Rivas for the belt last November.

For her part, Romero had fought Rivas to a technical draw five months earlier.

“I step into the ring not just to defend the title, but to win it,” Cruz said. “Romero may be the must-see opponent, but I’m focused on bigger dreams. Yamileth Mercado, Ellie Scotney, Segolene Lefebvre – I’m going for all stripes. Romero won’t be the one to stand in the way of my destiny. Viva Mexico!”

“I think it’s my time,” Romero said. “Nothing in my life has been, is or will be effortless. I was born for this and I feel like the best of all. I prepare like a champ; I think like a champion and I have to live like a champion.”