Jose Valenzuela has revenge on his mind when he fights Edwin De Los Santos on Sunday night, live on Sky Sports.
He is determined to rectify his 2022 loss to De Los Santos and prove himself a future opponent for American star Shakur Stevenson.
After the retirement of Terence Crawford, Stevenson is widely regarded as the pound-for-pound best boxer America has. That’s why he’s such an appealing target for Valenzuela.
“I can’t help but think about Shakur Stevenson. That’s a guy I’ve always wanted to fight, he’s a hell of a fighter,” Valenzuela told Sky Sports.
“I’d love a fight with Shakur Stevenson. That’s a fight that really moves me.
“That’s what boxing’s about. Competing with each other,” he continued. “Styles make fights and I think I’m a perfect style for Shakur Stevenson.”
His immediate goal is proving himself in his rematch with De Los Santos at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
He views this a second chance to “make things right” after the shock knockout loss he suffered in their first fight. De Los Santos is the only opponent to have stopped Valenzuela inside the distance.
Edwin De Los Santos (left) faces Valenzuela after they made weight in Las Vegas
“I’m ready for this now,” Valenzuela said. “I was green and immature.
“I believe I’m better than him. I wasn’t prepared the day we fought how I should have been.”
That setback, his first professional loss, he is convinced, changed him.
“Maybe it got to my head a little. I was on a knockout streak. But it was a great humbling experience. I believe God woke me up before it was too late,” Valenzuela reflected.
“I took another loss after that, two losses back to back. I went on a whole journey of losing, having to come back again, knock out [Chris] Colbert. Became a world champion after that.”
His victory over Isaac Cruz, to win a WBA super-lightweight title, showed the level he is capable of succeeding at. A subsequent defeat to Gary Antuanne Russell saw him return to the 135lbs division.
De Los Santos though is the fight he wanted. “Lost with Gary and finally learned a lot from all that. Became a man,” Valenzuela said. “I’m now in a place where I can just focus on boxing and my family.
“It’s going to be totally different. I’m a complete fighter.”
That’s what he needs to demonstrate. On potentially beating De Los Santos, Valenzuela reflected: “It proves to me I am who I say I am.
“You can lose, you can learn and you can evolve, you can come back and you can be better. A loss doesn’t define you. If anything it’ll help you.”
Watch Edwin De Los Santos vs Jose Valenzuela live on Sky Sports Action from 9.30pm on Sunday
