An electrifying showdown is set for August 31st at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, as Arturo Popoca and Jesus Arechiga Valdez prepare to face off in a thrilling 10-round super bantamweight title bout. This clash promises to add extra heat to the undercard of the highly anticipated main event between super middleweights Diego Pacheco and Maciej Sulecki.

While the rising prospect from Mexico, Arturo Popoca has never known defeat in his professional boxing career, his opponent and fellow countryman Valdez just recorded his sole loss in his last fight. It has left many feeling bewildered about who would get their hand raised after the final bell. But worry not because here’s everything you need to make an informed decision.

Arturo Popoca vs. Jesus Arechiga Valdez: Who’s got the better resume? 

Let’s start with their professional boxing records. Popoca boasts an admirable 14-0-1 record, while Valdez is much more experienced in the ring with a professional record of 21-1-0. It’s also worth mentioning that Popoca has a short-lived amateur career. However, that isn’t significant enough to affect their fight next weekend. 

Now, let’s look at their last fights. Popoca is coming off a majority decision win over previously undefeated Danny Barrios Flores in June earlier this year. Whereas Valdez took on Jose Ramirez Maciel, losing the bout via a unanimous decision. As for the quality of opponents, Popoca doesn’t have much to show off besides his fights against Danny Barrios Flores, Edwyn Flores Quiriarte, and Alexis De Luna. On the other hand, despite his higher number of bouts, Luis Alvarado Morales remains Valdez’s best opponent, the fight he lost. 

Now, Popoca takes the cake for being the more active fighter between the two, having fought thrice already in 2024. In comparison, the upcoming bout will be Valdez’s second fight of the year. Even in the past year, Popoca has seen more action in the ring with an impressive six fights, whereas Valdez stepped into the ring for three fights. 

However, that changes when the overall number of rounds fought is taken into consideration. While Popoca has remained more active in recent years, Valdez towers over him with 98 total rounds fought in professional boxing, compared to Popoca’s 72. All this means is the bout would be a neck-and-neck battle, which will most likely go the distance. 

Who’s got better attributes?

Despite the significant disparity in their professional records, the age factor won’t be giving either fighter an edge—Popoca is 23, and Valdez is just a year older at 24. Both are coming into their prime, making this an intriguing matchup. Turning to height, the younger boxer has the advantage with a height of 5′ 6″/168cm, compared to Valdez’s 5′ 5″/165cm.

However, the height difference is not significant enough to tip the fight in Popoca’s favor. Meanwhile, the details about their reach are currently unavailable. Also, while the fight is happening at 122 pounds/super bantamweight, the exact weight of the fighters will only be revealed during the final weigh-ins. 

For reference, though, Popoca has consistently stayed close to the 122-pound mark in his last four fights, weighing in at 121 ¼ in his most recent bout. On the other hand, Valdez tends to come in slightly lighter, with weigh-ins of 119, 121, and 120 pounds for his recent fights. This means neither of them holds any significant advantage over the other in terms of physical features. 

Who’s more likely to score a knockout?

With more fights under his belt, Valdez naturally boasts more knockouts—15 to Popoca’s 8. Interestingly, before suffering his first career loss, Valdez secured back-to-back knockout victories. In contrast, Popoca tends to surprise his opponents, landing knockout wins sporadically but effectively.

What could be a game-changer for Valdez is his impressive knockout ratio. The 24-year-old boasts a 71.43% knockout ratio, significantly higher than Popoca’s 57.14%. This power advantage could play a pivotal role in the outcome of the fight. Adding to that, Valdez has consistently delivered these knockouts, making him the most likely source of a brutal knockout punch. 

However, most of Valdez’s knockouts came in the early rounds of the fight, meaning if Popoca can survive past the fourth or fifth round, he could manage to avoid the one-punch sleep treatment from Valdez. Still, Valdez clearly has the knockout advantage on his side, which could help him stop the fight early. 

All things considered, the Arturo Popoca vs. Jesus Arechiga Valdez bout promises to be a competitive one. The fight seems likely to go the distance, heading to the judges’ scorecards—unless Valdez can capitalize on his power and stop Popoca in the early rounds. Who are you cheering for on Saturday night?