By Francisco Salazar

On June 27 of last year, Oscar Valdez won a 10 round decision over gatekeeper and former world title challenger Ruben Tamayo.

Valdez overcame Tamayo's southpaw style and reach, but did not impress in doing so. Some in boxing wondered if Valdez had peaked and talks of fighting for a world title belt seemed out of the question.

Thirteen months and three impressive victories later, Valdez is on the cusp of becoming a world titleholder.

He must get by unbeaten Matias Rueda in a 12 round bout Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. Both fighters will fight for the vacant WBO World featherweight title, which was held by Vasyl Lomachenko.

The Valdez-Rueda fight will precede the unification bout between unbeaten junior welterweights Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol. Both fights, along with two others, will air on HBO Pay Per View. (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

Valdez (19-0, 17 KOs) envisioned fighting for a world title way before representing Mexico in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. A championship was at the forefront since he was a child growing up in Tucson, Ariz. and in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

"This (Saturday) is what I've been dreaming about since I was a kid," Valdez told krikya360.com over the phone on Wednesday. "I'm enjoying every moment and the path I took to get here. I'm not getting ahead of myself. I'm just taking everything day-by-day."

Valdez will square off against Rueda (26-0, 23 KOs), a hard-hitting featherweight who will be fighting outside of his native Argentina for only the second time.

While Rueda has not fought a legit contender, he has knocked out his last 10 opponents.

"I know that he (Rueda) is a hard-hitting fighter," said Valdez, who is trained by Manny Robles. "I'm not worried as to what he is going to do. I'm confident in what I have accomplished and what I can do in the ring."

Valdez could become the boxer to have star-appeal in the United States and Mexico. He is popular south of the border, but boxing fans in the U.S. have warmed to his style in the ring and clean-cut persona.

It was one of the things that stood out when Bob Arum signed him to a promotional deal out of the 2012 Olympic Games.

"We had hopes that he would become a star," Arum told krikya360.com recently. "He's certainly done his part. We will continue building him up in the years ahead. He could be one of the major factors in the sport of boxing."

Valdez has certainly made use of every opportunity Top Rank and manager Frank Espinoza has give given. Whether it is headlining a 'Solo Boxeo Tecate' broadcast on UniMas or given a slot on a major Pay Per View, as in his last fight, Valdez has provided impressive performances.

That was the case in his last fight on April 9 when he scored an impressive fourth round knockout win over former world titleholder Evgeny Gradovich. The fight was on the HBO Pay Per View broadcast prior to the rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.

Saturday will mark another opportunity for Valdez. It will mark Valdez's first scheduled 12 round bout.

"I'm grateful to receive these opportunities. I'm very happy to be put on a such a great card on Saturday. It gives me more motivation and my job is perform and execute our game-plan."

Valdez did not let the Ruben Tamayo fight dictate the rest of his career. Like any great fighter, he learned from it, made adjustments, and moved forward.

The fight is now an afterthought and an impressive performance and win over Rueda on Saturday could be the foundation to winning more world titles and accolades to come.

Valdez anticipates putting on another solid performance and fulfilling that dream he had as a child.

"I've been waiting for this moment. I took things fight-by-fight and here's my opportunity to win a world title. I've enjoyed getting to this point."

Francisco A. Salazar has written for krikya360.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, RingTV, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing