Jose Benavidez Sr Hopes to Pit Jose Valenzuela Against Isaac Cruz Next!
Prospects often get soft touches to bring them along. When the team feels confident their fighter has reached a certain point, they will step up the competition. Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (12-0, 8KO) is a lightweight prospect that has been passing the tests with flying colors. Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr is eyeing a match-up against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (23-2-1, 16KO) next.
Rayo is a gifted 23-year-old fighter that has been training under the thumb of Benavidez since he was a kid. After taking fights against subpar competition, he scored a good win over tough veteran Deiner Berrio in 2021. He caught the attention of the boxing community by scoring a first-round destruction over former junior lightweight champion Francisco Vargas in April.
On the undercard of Andy Ruiz Jr versus Luis Ortiz, set for September 4, Valenzuela will be up against the toughest task of his young career by taking on former WBA junior lightweight champion Jezzrel Corrales. The young talent must look impressive against the former champion before moving on to the next level.
THE TOUGH TASK AHEAD
During an interview with 3Kings Boxing, Benavidez Sr expressed interest in fighting Pitbull, who is also on the undercard.
“Pitbull is a dangerous fighter, he’s very recognized. That would be a tough, tough challenge for us […] we would love to fight Pitbull next.”
Benavidez Sr understands that the upcoming task against Corrales is a tough fight and that his fighter will need to make a statement before moving on to the next level.
“Valenzuela has a tough, tough task in front of him […] He has to look impressive in order to go to the next level. He does have a hard fight, and I think he’s going to do well, and we’re training super hard for that. Hopefully, everything goes well. Then, we could do Pitbull.”
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By: Garrisson Bland
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