JOSE «EL RAYO» VALENZUELA BECOMES WBC LIGHTWEIGHT CONTINENTAL AMERICAS CHAMPION WITH AN IMPRESSIVE KO WIN
JOSE «EL RAYO» VALENZUELA BECOMES THE
WBC LIGHTWEIGHT CONTINENTAL AMERICAS CHAMPION WITH AN IMPRESSIVE KO WIN!
PHOTO BY LINA BAKER/@SEEYOURINGSIDE
(April 17, 2022 – Arlington, TX) – Rising Star José «El Rayo» Valenzuela (12-0, 8 KOs) made a startling statement about his punching power and future in the lightweight division in his bout with former champion Francisco «El Bandido» Vargas, (27-3-2, 19 KOs). Valenzuela landed a looping left hand that sent Vargas crashing to the canvas, prompting the referee to immediately stop the scheduled 10-round lightweight bout at 1:25 of the first round in Saturday’s second pay-per-view bout.
A stablemate of unbeaten two-time world champion David Benavidez, Valenzuela, 22, stepped back to avoid the 37-year-old Vargas’ jab and launched forward with a windup left that landed clean. Vargas, who won a 130-pound title in 2015, dropped his second straight while Valenzuela has now stopped seven of his last eight opponents.
“I worked hard for this and stayed calm, and I stayed patient and went for it when I saw the opening,” said Valenzuela, who referenced the support of Benavidez, standing in the ring next to him. “Working alongside this guy right here, David Benavidez, he has shown me a lot of things in and out. I look to see what he does and what he goes through. He tells me to be patient and that’s what I did. I was expecting (Vargas) to get up but when I took a look back, I knew. It was a good knockout.”
Valenzuela is now the WBC Lightweight Continental Americas Champion and only looks forward to moving up the rankings from this point on to become a World Champion.