Unification fever is everywhere in boxing right now. 

Weeks removed from Errol Spence-Yordenis Ugas at welterweight, Jr. lightweight gets into the mix. 24-year old US Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson (17-0, 9 KO) puts his WBO belt on the line against 31-year old 2012 Mexican Olympian and WBC titlist Oscar Valdez (30-0, 23 KO). It’s both men’s second title in as many weight classes and both enter closely removed from career best wins.

Stevenson defeated fellow US Olympian Jamel Herring for his belt in the class last October. Valdez knocked out Miguel Berchelt in impressive fashion, though left less an impression in his lone defense against Robinson Conceicao. Valdez also still carries the cloud of a failed test for a banned substance prior to the Conceicao fight; the fight proceeded despite the testing outcome.  

Barring a draw, the winner will join an impressive roster of at least partially unified titlists on the men’s side of boxing including:

  •     Juan Francisco Estrada (WBA/WBC Franchise - Jr. Bantamweight) 

  •     Naoya Inoue (IBF/WBA - Bantamweight) 

  •     Stephen Fulton (WBC/WBO - Jr. Featherweight)

  •     Murodjon Akhmadaliev (IBF/WBA - Jr. Featherweight)

  •     George Kambosos (IBF/WBA/WBC Franchise/WBO - Lightweight)

  •     Josh Taylor (IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO - Jr. Welterweight)

  •     Errol Spence (IBF/WBA/WBC - Welterweight)

  •     Jermell Charlo (IBF/WBA/WBC - Jr. Middleweight)

  •     Gennadiy Golovkin (IBF/WBA - Middleweight)

  •     Saul Alvarez (IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO - Super Middleweight)

  •     Artur Beterbiev (IBF/WBC - Light Heavyweight)

  •     Oleksandr Usyk (IBF/WBA/WBO - Heavyweight)

For fans who find boxing’s proliferation of belts an obnoxious confusion, having at least partial unification of belts in eleven of boxing’s seventeen weight classes is healthy. It might not stay this good for long; Taylor’s vacancy at Jr. welterweight feels like a matter of when. There’s still more work being done at other weights. Kambosos-Devin Haney and Charlo-Brain Castano II are set and will clear up their divisional title pictures completely. Inoue-Nonito Donaire II and Beterbiev-Joe Smith Jr. will unify three belts in their respective weight classes.

Against this backdrop, Stevenson-Valdez will match the near-consensus top two at 130 lbs. TBRB and Ring will each recognize the winner as the new rightful champion at the weight. It will mark the start of a new lineage for the first time since Manny Pacquiao left for heavier achievement years ago.

Jr. lightweight might not be one of the so-called ‘original eight’ weight classes but it’s not far behind them. Jr. lightweight has one of the deepest histories of any of boxing’s in-between classes. Hall of Famers Kid Chocolate and Johnny Dundee held early versions of the crown and it has been a consistent piece of the boxing tapestry since the late 1950s. 

So why have so few of its champions faced off?

Through a combination of geography, promotional affiliation, timing, and a lack of alignment of economic interests, it’s just not been a norm for the division.

Since Hiroshi Kobayashi was stripped of the WBC belt in 1969, Jr. lightweight hasn’t had a champion who unified all the belts in the class. As the title picture as grown from two to a widely accepted four major belts, we’ve rarely seen even two belts united. It’s not for a lack of talent.

Alexis Arguello, Julio Cesar Chavez, Brian Mitchell, Azumah Nelson, and Floyd Mayweather are just some of the Hall of Fame greats who posted lengthy, impressive title reigns in the class. Mitchell, as WBA titlist, sought unification. A 1991 clash with IBF titlist Tony Lopez ended in a draw. Mitchell vacated and won Lopez’s belt in the return. Mitchell retired after the fight, taking it’s longest lineal championship legacy with him as well. 

Others made claim to history’s throne. Azumah Nelson’s line carried through Mayweather and Mayweather came close to adding additional belts. Mayweather faced a Diego Corrales who had vacated the IBF belt prior to challenging Mayweather for the WBC crown in 2001. 

It wasn’t until Acelino Freitas (WBO) bested Joel Casamayor (WBA) in 2002 that two straps sat on one waist. It happened again not long after. Erik Morales (WBC) defeated Carlos Hernandez (IBF) in 2004 but immediately dumped the IBF belt. Marco Antonio Barrera took the WBC strap from Morales in their classic third fight and added the IBF belt with a win over Robbie Peden in 2005. The IBF belt was again vacated in the immediate aftermath.

That makes this weekend even more of a treat, and only the second of the small handful of unification clashes where both men enter undefeated. 

Both Olympians. 

Both in their prime. 

Who knows, maybe the winner will even go for a third. Someone has to go first on that front.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.