Jose Valenzuela defeated Deiner Berrio by a unanimous decision on Saturday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela looked the part against Deiner Berrio on Saturday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KOs) outworked his veteran opponent to win a wide decision in the 10-round bout on Fox Sports 1, his first main event on national television.
The scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92, all for Valenzuela.
The Seattle-based Mexican got off to a quick start, outlanding Berrio (22-4-1, 13 KOs) by a large margin in the first several rounds. The Colombian, an awkward fighter, had some good moments in the middle rounds but Valenzuela took everything Berrio landed and controlled the fight down the stretch.
The fighters didn’t hold back in a wild 10th round but neither was hurt.
Valenzuela, who is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., was taking part in his first 10-rounder.
On the undercard, Rajon Chance (5-0-1, 5 KOs) and Elon De Jesus (3-0-1, 2 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a six-round junior featherweight bout.
Jose Valenzuela defeated Deiner Berrio by a unanimous decision on Saturday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela looked the part against Deiner Berrio on Saturday in Bakersfield, Calif.
Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KOs) outworked his veteran opponent to win a wide decision in the 10-round bout on Fox Sports 1, his first main event on national television.
The scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92, all for Valenzuela.
The Seattle-based Mexican got off to a quick start, outlanding Berrio (22-4-1, 13 KOs) by a large margin in the first several rounds. The Colombian, an awkward fighter, had some good moments in the middle rounds but Valenzuela took everything Berrio landed and controlled the fight down the stretch.
The fighters didn’t hold back in a wild 10th round but neither was hurt.
Valenzuela, who is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., was taking part in his first 10-rounder.
On the undercard, Rajon Chance (5-0-1, 5 KOs) and Elon De Jesus (3-0-1, 2 KOs) fought to a majority draw in a six-round junior featherweight bout.
Lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela is determined to shine in his first main event on national television Saturday.
Jose Valenzuela wants to make the most of his biggest moment to date.
The 22-year-old lightweight prospect will face Deiner Berrio on Saturday night at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif., his first main event on national television (Fox Sports 1).
Valenzuela, riding a streak of five consecutive knockouts, will be taking part in his first scheduled 10-rounder.
“I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was a little kid,” said Valenzuela, a native of Mexico who is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr. in Seattle. “Now I’m just ready to put on a show Saturday night and make a big statement. I have to let the whole division know that I’m here.”
He went on: “I love putting on a good performance for the fans and getting them up out of their seats. I’m a very active fighter, because I grew up watching and appreciating fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez.”
Valenzuela (9-0, 6 KOs) is coming off an impressive fourth-round knockout of Donte Strayhorn on Aug. 21, which was televised on Fox before the Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas pay-per-view card.
He said fans will see a better version of him on Saturday.
“You’re going to see better footwork from me in this fight,” he said. “I’m a good boxer and I’m good on my toes, but I sometimes get bored of that. I like to fight in the trenches, but I know I have to be smart and use my defense also.
“I’m going to be using my jab and different angles in this fight. I’m not going to be standing straight up in front of Berrio.”
Berrio (22-3-1, 13 KOs) will be Valenzuela’s most experienced opponent to date. The Colombian has fought three unbeaten prospects, losing by decision each time.
“Berrio has a style where he fights off his back foot, gets low and then explodes with wild overhand rights,” Valenzuela said. “It’s a weird style and definitely a little awkward. I don’t think he’s going to be able to adapt and make the adjustments he’ll need against me. I’ll be expecting a lot of wide shots from him.”
He added: “I have to show everybody that Berrio is nowhere near my level. I can’t just win. I have to win in tremendous fashion. A knockout would be great, but the most important thing is to dominate and look-good winning.”
Valenzuela said he has benefitted from working alongside David and Jose Benavidez Jr.
“It’s a great experience working with the Benavidez family,” he said. “They always push me extremely hard and they really believe that we don’t have any limits. David is also a fast-paced fighter and I think that comes from the type of training we do.”
Lightweight prospect Jose Valenzuela is determined to shine in his first main event on national television Saturday.
Jose Valenzuela wants to make the most of his biggest moment to date.
The 22-year-old lightweight prospect will face Deiner Berrio on Saturday night at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, Calif., his first main event on national television (Fox Sports 1).
Valenzuela, riding a streak of five consecutive knockouts, will be taking part in his first scheduled 10-rounder.
“I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was a little kid,” said Valenzuela, a native of Mexico who is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr. in Seattle. “Now I’m just ready to put on a show Saturday night and make a big statement. I have to let the whole division know that I’m here.”
He went on: “I love putting on a good performance for the fans and getting them up out of their seats. I’m a very active fighter, because I grew up watching and appreciating fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez.”
Valenzuela (9-0, 6 KOs) is coming off an impressive fourth-round knockout of Donte Strayhorn on Aug. 21, which was televised on Fox before the Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugas pay-per-view card.
He said fans will see a better version of him on Saturday.
“You’re going to see better footwork from me in this fight,” he said. “I’m a good boxer and I’m good on my toes, but I sometimes get bored of that. I like to fight in the trenches, but I know I have to be smart and use my defense also.
“I’m going to be using my jab and different angles in this fight. I’m not going to be standing straight up in front of Berrio.”
Berrio (22-3-1, 13 KOs) will be Valenzuela’s most experienced opponent to date. The Colombian has fought three unbeaten prospects, losing by decision each time.
“Berrio has a style where he fights off his back foot, gets low and then explodes with wild overhand rights,” Valenzuela said. “It’s a weird style and definitely a little awkward. I don’t think he’s going to be able to adapt and make the adjustments he’ll need against me. I’ll be expecting a lot of wide shots from him.”
He added: “I have to show everybody that Berrio is nowhere near my level. I can’t just win. I have to win in tremendous fashion. A knockout would be great, but the most important thing is to dominate and look-good winning.”
Valenzuela said he has benefitted from working alongside David and Jose Benavidez Jr.
“It’s a great experience working with the Benavidez family,” he said. “They always push me extremely hard and they really believe that we don’t have any limits. David is also a fast-paced fighter and I think that comes from the type of training we do.”
Fight Week: Back-to-back shows on FS1 featuring prospects.
FIGHT WEEK
PROSPECTS JOSE VALENZUELA AND MALIEK MONTGOMERY ARE THE FEATURED FIGHTERS IN BACK-TO-BACK FIGHT CARDS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ON FOX SPORTS 1.
***
JOSE VALENZUELA (9-0, 6 KOs) VS. DEINER BERRIO (22-3-1, 13 KOs)
When: Saturday, Sept. 18
Where: Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, Calif.
TV/Stream: Fox Sports 1
Division: Lightweight
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Rajon Chance vs. Elon de Jesus, featherweights
Prediction: Valenzuela UD 10
Background: Valenzuela is a 22-year-old native of Mexico who trains alongside David Benavidez in Seattle. The boxer-puncher has been more of a puncher lately, having stopped his last five opponents in four rounds or less. He last fought on Aug. 21, when he stopped Donte Strayhorn in the fourth round of a scheduled eight-rounder. The fight on Saturday will be his first scheduled 10-rounder. Berrio, 30, is no pushover. the Los Angeles-based Colombian has experience fighting prospects, having lost decisions to then-unbeaten Pavel Malikov, Zaur Abdullaev and Juan Pablo Romero (on April 22). That accounts for all of Berrio’s losses, meaning he has never been stopped. Will Valenzuela be the first to knock him out?
Also on the card: Omar Juarez vs. Jairo Lopez, junior welterweights
Prediction: Montgomery UD 10
Background: Montgomery honed his boxing skills during an impressive amateur career but has made a splash as a puncher in the pro ranks, as he has stopped all 10 of his opponents. And none have gotten out of the fourth round. His most recent victim was Weusi Johnson, who was stopped in Round 4 on April 3. Montgomery, 25, defeated Edgar Berlanga, Keeshawn Williams and Joseph Adorno, among others, as an amateur but lost to Teofimo Lopez in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. He is trained by Kenny Porter, Shawn Porter’s father. The product of Macon, Georgia, will be making his 10-round debut. Jumakhonov is from Tajikistan but fights out of Los Angeles. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Jorge Ramos in September of last year. He also has never taken part in a scheduled 10-rounder. Also on the card, Omar Juarez (11-1, 5 KOs) will be trying to bounce back from his majority-decision loss to All Rivera on June 27. He will face Jairo Lopez (27-13, 17 KOs) in a scheduled eight round junior welterweight matchup.
***
Also fighting this weekend: Jesse Hart (26-3, 21 KOs) will face Mike Guy (12-6-1, 5 KOs) in a super middleweight fight Friday in Philadelphia (BXNGTV); and Ali Akhmedov (16-1, 12 KOs) will face David Zegarra (34-5, 21 KOs) in a super middleweight bout Thursday in Montebello, Calif. (UFC Fight Pass).
Fight Week: Back-to-back shows on FS1 featuring prospects.
FIGHT WEEK
PROSPECTS JOSE VALENZUELA AND MALIEK MONTGOMERY ARE THE FEATURED FIGHTERS IN BACK-TO-BACK FIGHT CARDS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ON FOX SPORTS 1.
***
JOSE VALENZUELA (9-0, 6 KOs) VS. DEINER BERRIO (22-3-1, 13 KOs)
When: Saturday, Sept. 18
Where: Mechanics Bank Arena, Bakersfield, Calif.
TV/Stream: Fox Sports 1
Division: Lightweight
At stake: No titles
Pound-for-pound ranking: None
Odds: NA
Also on the card: Rajon Chance vs. Elon de Jesus, featherweights
Prediction: Valenzuela UD 10
Background: Valenzuela is a 22-year-old native of Mexico who trains alongside David Benavidez in Seattle. The boxer-puncher has been more of a puncher lately, having stopped his last five opponents in four rounds or less. He last fought on Aug. 21, when he stopped Donte Strayhorn in the fourth round of a scheduled eight-rounder. The fight on Saturday will be his first scheduled 10-rounder. Berrio, 30, is no pushover. the Los Angeles-based Colombian has experience fighting prospects, having lost decisions to then-unbeaten Pavel Malikov, Zaur Abdullaev and Juan Pablo Romero (on April 22). That accounts for all of Berrio’s losses, meaning he has never been stopped. Will Valenzuela be the first to knock him out?
Also on the card: Omar Juarez vs. Jairo Lopez, junior welterweights
Prediction: Montgomery UD 10
Background: Montgomery honed his boxing skills during an impressive amateur career but has made a splash as a puncher in the pro ranks, as he has stopped all 10 of his opponents. And none have gotten out of the fourth round. His most recent victim was Weusi Johnson, who was stopped in Round 4 on April 3. Montgomery, 25, defeated Edgar Berlanga, Keeshawn Williams and Joseph Adorno, among others, as an amateur but lost to Teofimo Lopez in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. He is trained by Kenny Porter, Shawn Porter’s father. The product of Macon, Georgia, will be making his 10-round debut. Jumakhonov is from Tajikistan but fights out of Los Angeles. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Jorge Ramos in September of last year. He also has never taken part in a scheduled 10-rounder. Also on the card, Omar Juarez (11-1, 5 KOs) will be trying to bounce back from his majority-decision loss to All Rivera on June 27. He will face Jairo Lopez (27-13, 17 KOs) in a scheduled eight round junior welterweight matchup.
***
Also fighting this weekend: Jesse Hart (26-3, 21 KOs) will face Mike Guy (12-6-1, 5 KOs) in a super middleweight fight Friday in Philadelphia (BXNGTV); and Ali Akhmedov (16-1, 12 KOs) will face David Zegarra (34-5, 21 KOs) in a super middleweight bout Thursday in Montebello, Calif. (UFC Fight Pass).
