The undefeated prospect and his trainer both agree: the 10 hard-fought rounds that Francois Scarboro Jnr had with Brandon Valdes will make him better.
Scarboro, a 29-year-old junior lightweight, won a unanimous decision on January 30 over Valdes, with one judge seeing it 99-91 and the other two having it 96-94. The pair of narrow scores more accurately reflected how closely contested the bout was.
And the competitive action was not a surprise, even though Scarboro came in at 12-0 (9 KOs) while Valdes was 15-7 (7 KOs) and had lost four in a row.
“He has a lot of experience, and his back is against the wall. You’re the strongest when your back is against the wall,” Scarboro had told BoxingScene’s Ryan Songalia ahead of the fight. “I feel like he has the same physical tools that I have. I feel as though he has speed, he has power, and he doesn't have a will to quit. He’s not going to shy away. He’s not scared.”
Valdes was far better than his record might otherwise suggest. Then again, a closer examination of his record would also show that Valdes had only been stopped once before – by Robeisy Ramirez in 2020 – and since then had gone the distance with a number of prospects, including Jordan White, Ruben Villa, Yan Santana and Dominic Valle.
“I knew that it was going to be a tough fight,” said trainer Ernesto Rodriguez of Hillcrest Boxing Gym, located just outside of Washington, D.C. “I looked at [Valdes’] record. I saw who he fought. I don’t always necessarily look at the record, but I look at the style of the fighter. Styles make fights, and I knew that his style of fight was going to be very competitive, because he’s an aggressive fighter, throws a lot of punches, and I knew that Frankie was the same way.”
If they weren’t already destined to go to battle, then it became inevitable at the weigh-in, when Valdes walked up to Scarboro.
“It was pretty much like him trying to punk me, you know, imply that I’m scared,” Scarboro told this reporter in an interview a week after the bout. “And I’m not scared at all. And I felt like I had to show him. My demeanor, there’s no secret. I want to box and do everything right. It’s just like, when it’s time, when I’m actually in there, it’s hard for me to not engage in a battle.
“I’m a warrior. I’m a modern-day gladiator, which is a gift as well as a curse. So when things get physical, I actually enjoy that. When people want to show how brave they are and when they want to go toe-to-toe, I want to let everyone know that I’m going to be the one standing out on top and I’m not scared of anyone. And I'm not going back down.”
This see-saw affair was quite a swing to the other end of the spectrum from Scarboro’s previous bout, when he dispatched an unbeaten fighter in just two minutes. In this bout with Valdes, Scarboro’s first scheduled 10-rounder, he wound up not only going longer than ever before, but having to dig deep amid a physically grueling and mentally draining firefight.
“My power was there, obviously. My speed was there. My ability to take control of the fight whenever I wanted to,” Scarboro said. “And listening to my corner. I can’t say that I did that consistently, but when it was time to tighten up and get it together and listen to the corner, I did that. He told me to use my footwork, to actually jab and box from the outside instead of ending up in a war. Cause that fight was a war. He didn't want me to engage in that war the whole 10 rounds and give opportunity a chance, as far as getting hit with a punch you don't see and getting clipped and knocked down.”
Rodriguez feels Scarboro learned that he needs to use tools beyond aggression, to remember to utilize his defense, footwork and speed, and that patience can pay off.
“He has more time to implement and break down his opponent rather than trying to just engage so early,” Rodriguez said. “Use the jab, move around, pick your shots and you can land a big shot and probably knock him out, rather than just being so aggressive and use so much energy so early in a 10-round fight.”
Scarboro didn’t help himself against Valdez, but it also didn’t help matters that he began to feel sick the day of the weigh-in. The next morning, he had a migraine. Scarboro was coming down with the flu, an illness that persisted for days afterward.
The weeks before had also been difficult and emotional. In a short span, Scarboro’s dog died and a beloved relative also passed away.
Strong winds had blown down a gate at Scarboro’s father’s house. Titanium got loose and was fatally struck by a motor vehicle.
“I cried until my head hurt so much and I couldn’t cry anymore,” Scarboro recalled. “I finally got over that and went to the gym. All of the guys in the gym, they told me that they were there for me. And I got over that – kind of – on December 30. On December 31, I went back to the gym and I was having a rough day because of my dog. And I see my mom walking into the gym. My mom never comes in the gym. She had this look on her face, and that look on her face, I never want to see it again. And I just knew that something happened. I knew something was wrong. My heart dropped.”
Scarboro’s cousin, Joshua Meaders, passed away in his sleep at the age of 30. The two had long been close since childhood. As adults, Meaders was a consistent presence at Scarboro’s fights and would drive him to the bouts and keep his dressing room secure. The first month of 2026 included events to support the family and celebrate Meaders’ life and legacy.
“He was definitely a protector. He was always there for me,” Scarboro said. “I know he didn’t judge me. And I knew he had my back, and in this life, we don’t have too many people like that. And it just sucks, because I grew up with him since before I even knew how to walk and talk. We were around each other, and now he's not here anymore. So that’s the hard part.”
Through all of this, Scarboro still wanted to go forward with the Valdes fight. He needed to go forward with the Valdes fight.
In his mind, Scarboro couldn’t afford to cancel, not while he’s trying to move his career forward and fulfill his dream. Scarboro is a college graduate with a degree in business administration and a minor in marketing, but positions in those fields have hours that clash with when boxing gyms are open. For now, Scarboro has multiple gigs to help pay his bills while still allowing him the time he needs to train.
“I’m betting on myself. I know that this boxing thing is going to work for me,” Scarboro said. “So just working those jobs is part of the sacrifice. I sacrifice using my degree in order to do what I love. And what I love is boxing, which is why I work these jobs that are kind of hard on the body, or I work these jobs that nobody wants to do them, because I don’t even want to do them.”
Scarboro’s college education deferred his entry into the paid ranks. He received a boxing scholarship to compete for Glenville State University in West Virginia. As Scarboro turned pro only about four years ago, he’s a young 29.
“If we’re being realistic, I have about eight or nine good years left,” Scarboro said.
From one perspective, that’s plenty of time. From another, that might not seem like much time left to go from prospect to contender to world titleholder and to maximize your earning opportunities.
It might be tempting for boxing fans to contrast Scarboro’s current position with fighters of similar ages who are much more accomplished by now, including notable boxers from the region who competed in some of the same amateur tournaments, such as Gervonta Davis (31 years old), Lamont Roach Jnr (30) and Gary Antuanne Russell (29).
It might be tempting, then, for the boxer himself to try to advance quickly and catch up with his peers. Scarboro is resisting that temptation.
“I want to fix everything that I possibly can and fix all the flaws that are gonna hold me back or make fights tougher,” Scarboro said. “I feel like at the end of this year, I’ll be not one step, but a few steps closer to challenging for a world championship title. And once I get the opportunity to fight for one, I want to know that I'm ready. I want to have already seen everything that’s thrown in front of me.”
Coach Rodriguez wants Scarboro to continue on in longer fights against quality opposition.
“I want him to be challenged, but at the same time I’m not looking for wars. I’m not looking for every fight to have to be a tough fight. I want him to learn,” Rodriguez said. “If we can get three more 10-rounders this year, in 2027 I think it’s the time that we could challenge for a world title if it’s available.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
