NEW YORK – The saying that remaining champion is more challenging than first winning the belt is a phrase that Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela has heard often, particularly with the assignment of the heavy-handed Gary Antuanne Russell for his first WBA junior-welterweight title defense.

Yet, Valenzuela 14-2 (9 KOs) was the one who hand-selected Russell 17-1 (17 KOs), a former US Olympian seeking to join his older brother and trainer, Gary Russell Jnr, as a world champion on Saturday night in a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view co-main event to the Gervonta “Tank” Davis-Lamont Roach Jnr WBA lightweight title main attraction.

“There was another option on the table, but I chose Gary because I think he’s going to bring out the best in me,” Valenzuela said. “Fights like this are important if I want to become great in the sport.”

The Mexico-born Valenzuela, trained by Robert Garcia in the talent-laden Riverside, California, gym that counts unbeaten junior-middleweight Vergil Ortiz Jnr and super-flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez as stablemates, became champion in August by knocking off Mexico’s popular Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz via split-decision in Los Angeles.

Valenzuela, 25, is strongly positioned to parlay a victory over Russell into big things, including a unification bout with the winner of the WBC 140lbs title fight on the card between champion Alberto Puello and Sandor Martin, or by pursuing a victorious Davis or fellow lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.

When Stevenson saw a video interview of “Rayo” expressing interest in fighting him on social media on Thursday, Stevenson responded, “Four-division champ? Sign me up!”

Valenzuela thinks he’d also be an ideal fit for Davis, who has previously stood as a 140lbs champion.

“Definitely; I’m a PBC fighter; God willing, I’m victorious and continue this great momentum,” Valenzuela told BoxingScene. “I can see that fight happening.”

The rub, as they say, is executing effectively again, this time against a more complex, still powerful foe who’s driven by a split-decision loss to Puello on June 15 that would have left Russell the replacement champion to Devin Haney had he won.

The judges scored the fight 114-113 and 115-112 for Puello and 118-109 for Russell.

“Every fight is a back-to-the-wall thing, but I’m blessed to have this opportunity,” Russell, 28, said. “That’s why I say I’m coming with a chip on my shoulder. I don’t feel I lost the last fight. I made it too competitive. I put myself on a higher level [and know] don’t fight down to your competition. I got off the gas because I felt I was up on the scorecards and it was costly to do that. Not doing that again.”

Valenzuela acknowledges Russell is “dangerous”, but emphasizes that becoming champion has instilled “more motivation and discipline” in him.

“I’ve gone back and worked harder than ever to show I’m here to stay,” he said.

Valenzuela professes comfort in fighting inside, outside and at mid-range, and said Russell’s tendency to go for the knockout should create “an action-packed fight” that will “steal the night”.

Russell, schooled for so long by his late father, Gary Russell Snr, said he’s dedicating the bout to his dad, who died in 2022, leaving former featherweight champion Gary Jnr to match wits against Garcia.

“People really think I’m going to bring the same tools as usual,” Gary Antuanne Russell said. “I only bring out what’s necessary to get the job done and I’m going to do it with a little more pizzazz this fight. I’ve got something to get off my shoulders.”

Trainer Gary Russell Jnr said his younger brother isn’t going to be recklessly aggressive after seeing how Valenzuela disarmed the free-swinging Cruz.

 “I have a certain level of belief and confidence in my brother and his skill set to go out and execute the game plan,” Russell Jnr said. “Before every fight, I tell my younger brother, ‘The difference between good and great is inches and centimeters and the ability to produce. Let’s go out and fucking produce’.

“He is more aggressive than I was as a cerebral fighter. I believe in intellect over athleticism. It’s not the biggest, the fastest, the toughest.

“In most cases, the more intelligent person should win. In this particular fight, I tell my younger brother, ‘You can’t take the same tools for every job. You can’t use the sledgehammer on every job. Certain jobs might require this small-ass Allen wrench and I need you to be equally efficient using this Allen wrench as you are swinging the sledgehammer’.”

Gary Antuanne Russell said he foresees Valenzuela being the one to alter who he was in his past fight.

“I don’t believe [Valenzuela’s performance versus Cruz] is his normal fighting style – he’s a puncher-boxer, a brawler,” Russell said. “When he was matched up with Isaac Cruz, it was a style tailor-made for him.

“Isaac Cruz is strong, relentless, but a lot of the stuff he does is real televised – you can see it coming. Wasn’t using the jab, shorter guy.

“‘Rayo’ is the longer guy. He just did what he’s supposed to do against a shorter guy – turn him into a matador. Keep him at bay. That’s exactly how the fight went.”

Now, it’s a matter of who can execute best in a bout where height and reach are effectively even.

Russell, from Capitol Heights, Maryland, said he foresees the opportunity to make it a special night for his neighbors on the card – including Davis, Roach and former junior-middleweight champion Jarrett Hurd.

“It’ll be a blessing to come home with two belts for the D.C. area,” Russell said. “A lot of talent comes from there. They downplay the poverty and how rugged and crazy the neighborhood is. We definitely do things big when it comes to the culture thing – from music to fashion to greatness itself. I’m a representative and I’m proud to say that I represent from there. We’re just trying to bring it home.

“Shout out to ‘Rayo’ for picking me. It takes grit and a lot of bravery to do that.”

Just as Valenzuela responded well to consecutive losses to fuel his rise to a title, Russell said the defeat by Puello was an epiphany.

“Every fighter is flawed. Not every fighter has the room for growth,” he said. “They put a cap on themselves, and once they do, you might as well hang up your gloves. The flaws remain flaws. You don’t have a chance to fix them.

“Me, I see the same things in ‘Rayo’ that I see in all his fights. Some opponents didn’t make him pay. I’m not one of those fighters that’s going to let him slide and get away with the things he does. I’ll make him pay for his imperfections.”

Does that mean a knockout victory and another changing of the guard after Rolando “Rolly” Romero and Cruz saw their ownership of this same belt become a one-and-done scenario?

“Definitely can, for sure,” Russell told BoxingScene. “I’m going to dismantle him.”