It is early to consider what Jose Valenzuela plans on doing next after winning the WBA junior welterweight title.
Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) outclassed Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) to steal the show with a split decision victory at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday. The 25-year-old southpaw from Los Mochis, Mexico, utilized his jab, footwork and ring generalship to outbox Cruz.
Defeat left Cruz disappointed, and he called for an immediate rematch with Valenzuela, but trainer Bob Santos advised the new titleholder to consider slugging it out with the superstar Gervonta “Tank” Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) instead.
“If there’s a rematch clause then Valenzuela is obviously going to have to fight him,” Santos told BoxingScene. “I don’t know if there’s a rematch clause in the contract. If there’s then he has no choice but to fight Pitbull. Now, if Valenzuela has no rematch clause, then I think the next logical challenge for him is to try to take on Gervonta Davis."
The win over Cruz was Valenzuela’s biggest win, following consecutive defeats by Edwin de los Santos and Chris Colbert. Valenzuela required a rematch with Colbert in December to make a statement; he lost a controversial unanimous decision in their first meeting.
Santos said that fighting Davis would be a transformative opportunity for Valenzuela, and he called on him to take the biggest step in his career to face the lightweight titleholder. He also said that both Davis and Valenzuela must decide which weight is best for them to fight at.
“He was beaten by De Los Santos, he was in a close fight the first time with Chris Colbert,” he said. “There is no guarantee that in his next fight, whoever he faces at 140, he’s gonna beat him.
“Styles make fights, and if you have the opportunity to fight Gervonta Davis, one of the biggest names in boxing, to me you better take it because it may never come again. You know what I mean because look at what we’re trying to do here.
“You’re not protecting the undefeated record. You’ve already lost twice and there’s no guarantee that he’s going out there and will beat the next guy who may be the third ranked guy in the world or the fourth great guy in the world.”
The defeat by Valenzuela put a hold on a proposed Cruz-Davis rematch. Cruz is yet to know what’s next for him, but Santos thinks a move down to 135 pounds could be the best option for the hard-hitting fighter. He added that Cruz must adjust his style to be able to beat Valenzuela in a rematch.
“I’m not in his camp but maybe he’ll be better off to go back down to 135,” he said. “I don’t know. Maybe he just has a lot of problems with southpaws – you know a long southpaw. That’s for him and his team to assess. But I’m a big fan of 'Pitbull.' I love his style and I love what he brings to the sport, because one thing about Pitbull, he always comes to fight.
“He’s gonna have to make some adjustments if there’s going to be a rematch, and I’m sure his team knows this. You know, I think he could straighten out his punches a little more. You must get a better balance and things of that nature.
“If he goes into a rematch with the same strategy, then it’ll be difficult for him. Because his only savior could be a miracle punch to end the fight, but Valenzuela will be prepared for that.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at bernardneequaye@gmail.com.
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