By Miguel Rivera

The featherweight champion of the World Boxing Organization, Oscar Valdez, is waiting for news to find out where, when, how he will start his boxing activities in 2018.

In the coming days, shortly before the showdown between Vasyl Lomachenko and Guillermo Rigondeaux on December 9 in New York, Valdez's manager Frank Espinoza will meet executives Bob Arum and Todd DuBoef, of Top Rank, to define the plan of action for the Mexican world champion, who had in 2017 had two successful defenses of the 126-pound belt.

"We hope to have news soon. It was a pretty good year for [Valdez] with two defenses, two hard fights and we are sure that in 2018 things will be better," Espinoza said to ESPN Deportes. "We will be meeting with the people of Top Rank and with Oscar to choose the best direction for his career."

Valdez wants to boost his career in a way to be remembered and admired like other fighters, but the opportunities to achieve that have not come easily.

"Obviously, (Oscar) is in period of optional fights, but we are sure that he has grown a lot and that in 2018 we will see the best of him facing challenges, as always at the first level and why not think of unification fights for the next year," added the manager.

Valdez will be active in the first four months of the year and it is expected that once again it will be in the south of the United States, where he has been accommodated. Although for now it is not in the immediate plan to fight in Mexico, it is expected that in the discussions with Top Rank that possibility can be defined.

In 2017, Valdez had two tough fights, first with the Colombian Miguel Marriaga and then with the Filipino Genesis Servania, in which he was tested hard by both candidates, but sucked it up to win hard-fought decisions.

Valdez has a record of 23 wins, with 19 of them by knockout.