What is the overall opinion of Rodrigo Valdez? Overrated or underappreciated?

Over-rated plodder

 

Very good fighter from the waist up. Good chin, decent defence, very good power. A bis small at hw, probably more natural at 154. His biggest weakness were his slow feet.

 

The best challenger of all time, bar none. It just goes to show what an unbelievable genius maestro Monzon was that he was able to withstand and even master such a force.

 

I agree Mc, what a stupid comment. The guy that listed the ATG's and asked if Rodrigo could spring an upset among them? Absolutely, probably more than just a couple IMHO.
Check his record...he was just as worn and battletorn as King Carlos when they finally met. Turned pro in 1962 at age 16! Was in his 15th yr. of professional fighting when he fought Monzon. Boxing? A brutal way to make a living and it took Rodrigo (and many others) years before they got their shot in the limelight.
He couldn't box (tho certainly not a plodder) and had those paper thin eyebrows and...a notoriously slow starter (I heard Clancy used to tell referees in big fights to cut him some slack if he's going backwards and getting rocked early)
His assets? A two-fighted counter punching machine that could put you on ***** street at a moment's notice!
A good set of whiskers? You could hurt him but he's not going anywhere.
The post-Monzon Cuerto fights? His tank of physical tools (and heart) were on the back burner.
PvP I'd have loved to see Valdez in with Tiger/Carter/Mims/Benvenutti/LaMotta/Graziano/Zale/Walker/etc.......
Given him in prime mode, I would place him in the top 10 all-time middles, I truely believe that...
my $0.02

 

Valdez is an underrated defensive fighter.Kalule-esque:good and tough to catch twice in a row.

Biggest weakness was he could be turned quite easily and repeatedly in there, though not as bad as the sheer straight line and reset approach displayed by the likes of Trinidad, Colin Jones or probably Khaosai Galaxy had he fought any boxer worth a damn who was actually big enough to bother him.Better feet than Toney too perhaps.Maybe about on par with Azumah Nelson, but he didn't pressure with near the same intensity.


Also took a long time to really become a top fighter, though he basically learned on the job as a pro.

 

Didn't he catch some kind of STD that effectively slowed and ruined his career? Hepatitis maybe?

 

Simple: "Over-Shadowed & Under-Appreciated" by Monzon and the fans..... Still, that vato was good....

MR.BILL

 

I personally thought he was very,very good.

 

I don't think he's a guy that has stood the test of time well for some reason. Some do and somehow they are remembered much better. Look at all the love for a Nigel Benn. The test of time is a strange one for some fighters. Valdez is in the crowd of under appreciated guys like Cervantes/Pedroza/DeJesus/Benvenuti and so on.

 

Crap opinions like this seem to be the rule here regarding Valdez...he's terribly underappreciated here.

 

He was excellent...and would have been undisputed champion were it not for Monzon. Monzon ruined him.

 

Anyone who can stop Briscoe is a formidable offensive machine.

I think he's like Felix Trinidad only at Middleweight

 

I have a most unpopular appreciation for Hugo Corro, but the Valdez he beat twice was just not altogether there anymore. Valdez left his ability in the ring where he fought Monzon the second time.