It has been something of a roller-coaster couple of years for Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela.
In March 2023, coming off his first career defeat – a third-round knockout to Edwin de los Santos – he lost again, highly controversially, dropping a unanimous but razor-thin decision to Chris Colbert. Nine months later, he was emphatically victorious, knocking Colbert cold with a right hook in the sixth round of a rematch.
Then, in his one outing of 2024, he stepped up to 140 pounds and wrested the WBA title from favorite Isaac ‘Putbull’ Cruz.
Now, he is a defending champion as he prepares to take on Gary Antuanne Russell, 17-1 (17 KOs), in the co-main event to Gervonta Davis’ matchup with Lamont Roach at Barclays Center on March 1.
“You know, it was a dream come true,” Valenzuela, 14-2 (9 KOs), said of his title victory during a virtual press conference to promote the Davis-Roach undercard. “Pitbull is a great competitor, he’s a tough fighter. I went in there, I stuck to the game plan, I stayed focused, and I conquered the world title. And now I’m looking at defending against a tough competitor. Stylistically, it’s a different fight. And I like this fight better stylistically. Fighting a short fighter like Pitbull, you fight on your toes, it's a little uncomfortable. But this fight, I think it’s gonna be a little better, more action.”
Given his height and reach, Valenzuela believes he’s a tough out for anybody at 140 pounds - the kind of challenge, in fact, that most would rather avoid.
“I’m a headache for anybody,” he said. “Stylistically, I match up nicely with everybody, being 5’10”, strong and fast. So, you know, they’re not going to want to talk about me. They’re going to move, they’re going to look for bigger fights, move up to 147, or whatever they’re doing. But I’m not too worried about that. You know, I’ve got a tough competitor in front of me, and I’m fully focused on him and getting the job done.”
A key element of turning things around after those back-to-back losses has, he says, been connecting with trainer Robert Garcia, who was in his corner for the Colbert rematch and the Cruz win.
“He gives me a lot of confidence,” he said of Garcia. “He’s been at this level before, he’s brought many champions here, and he's been a champion himself. So he knows what it takes. I can relate to his advice very well. And I think because he has such good experience, everything he tells me, I take it with me, and it works.”
He is, he says, happy with his team and his career. The losses are behind him and he is looking ahead, beginning with the fight with Russell.
“After coming off those tough two losses, I took my career basically into my own hands,” he explained. “And, you know, I started doing things my way. I picked up Robert on the way, and my coach Mario Rodriguez. And we just made a great team. I feel like right now, this time in my life, I just feel unstoppable. I’m fully focused, I’m matured, and I’m excited to keep going and getting better as a fighter.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com.
