# José Valenzuela
**José "El Rayo" Valenzuela** (full name Jose Arturo Valenzuela Gastelum; born 1999) is a Mexican-born American professional boxer from [Renton, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/renton-washington), who won the [World Boxing Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-boxing-association) (WBA) super lightweight title in August 2024 by defeating Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz and who now competes at lightweight[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460) • [2](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/08/05/upset-victory-renton-boxer-el-rayo) • [3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/213418-jose-valenzuela). A southpaw with a reputation for punching power, he has a professional record of 16 wins, 3 losses, and no draws, with roughly half his wins by knockout[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999; alias "Rayo"; 5 ft 9 in, 69 in reach[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460) |
| Record | 16-3-0, with 53% of wins by knockout[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460) |
| Signature win | Split decision over Isaac Cruz on August 3, 2024 at BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, for the WBA super lightweight title[4](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/jose-valenzuela-shocks-isaac-pitbull-cruz-wins-split-decision-for-wba-junior-welter-title-4GEc39XoN4egmqqD9yBOkL) |
| Title reign | Lost the WBA 140-pound crown to Gary Antuanne Russell in early 2025[5](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/valenzuela-seeks-shot-at-stevenson-russell-rematch-7CIQcAet0t9ORv0Ze05oqD) |
| Notable KO | Sixth-round knockout of Chris Colbert in December 2023 in a WBA lightweight title eliminator, avenging a March 2023 decision loss[6](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/bouts/732395) |
| Rematch win | Second-round knockout of Edwin De Los Santos on June 28, 2026 at Zuffa Boxing 08 in Las Vegas, avenging a 2022 stoppage loss[7](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13558733/jose-valenzuela-stuns-edwin-de-los-santos-with-second-round-knockout-in-rematch-to-avenge-defeat) |
| Career earnings | Disclosed career earnings of $606,000 USD[3](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/213418-jose-valenzuela) |
## Early life and start in boxing
Valenzuela was born in [Los Mochis](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-mochis), Mexico, and moved with his family to the Seattle area as a toddler; he discovered the sport when he walked into the Azteca Boxing Club in Renton at around 10 years old[2](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/08/05/upset-victory-renton-boxer-el-rayo). He has described himself as a child with a lot of energy who got into street fights, and said that when his father took him to a boxing gym at age 10 or 11, "I fell in love with it. It felt like home"[8](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/news/jose-valenzuela-prefers-let-his-fists-do-talking).
**Early training.** At 17 he began training at the Seattle Boxing Gym, then owned by Isaac Tadeo, whose relationship with Valenzuela grew from trainer to something closer to paternal guidance[9](https://boxing-social.com/news/seize-your-moment-jose-valenzuela/). He later linked up with trainer Jose Benavidez Sr., father and trainer of champion [David Benavidez](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-benavidez), and spent hours sparring with the much larger David Benavidez, which he credits with polishing his skills[8](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/news/jose-valenzuela-prefers-let-his-fists-do-talking). Word of his heavy hands circulated before his professional debut, and a reported sparring session in which he stopped then-rising star [Teofimo Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/teofimo-lopez) after about 30 seconds spread his reputation among hardcore fans[9](https://boxing-social.com/news/seize-your-moment-jose-valenzuela/).
## Professional career
Valenzuela turned professional in 2018, defeating Humberto Téllez by decision in his debut; the Spanish-language profile Izquierdazo places the debut at age 18, while a UFC feature describes him as embarking on his professional career as a 19-year-old that year[10](https://izquierdazo.com/aprofundidad/Quien-es-Jose-Rayo-Valenzuela-De-donde-es-record-titulos-peso-y-edad-20220417-0013.html) • [11](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/jose-valenzuela-ready-put-show-zuffa-boxing-02). He fought frequently in the United States across lightweight, super lightweight, and super featherweight, and by late 2021 had moved into ten-round bouts against named opposition such as Austin Dulay[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460).
**First setback and rebound.** In September 2022 he lost to Edwin De Los Santos by third-round stoppage, a defeat later described as exposing unrefined defense[7](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13558733/jose-valenzuela-stuns-edwin-de-los-santos-with-second-round-knockout-in-rematch-to-avenge-defeat). He rebuilt with a win over former world champion Francisco Vargas in April 2022, a fight in which he dropped Vargas with a left hand roughly 90 seconds in[9](https://boxing-social.com/news/seize-your-moment-jose-valenzuela/).
**The Colbert rivalry.** In March 2023 Chris Colbert beat Valenzuela by unanimous decision behind a strong jab. In the December 2023 rematch, a WBA lightweight title eliminator in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis), Valenzuela dropped Colbert in round one with a flurry of 33 landed punches and won by sixth-round knockout, stopped by referee Joel Scobie 1:46 into the round[6](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/bouts/732395).
**WBA super lightweight champion.** On August 3, 2024, at [BMO Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/bmo-stadium) in Los Angeles on a [Riyadh Season](https://www.edgepedia.org/riyadh-season) card, Valenzuela, a roughly 25-year-old southpaw then seen as an underdog, out-boxed the champion [Isaac Cruz](https://www.edgepedia.org/isaac-cruz) over 12 rounds and won the WBA super lightweight title by split decision[4](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/jose-valenzuela-shocks-isaac-pitbull-cruz-wins-split-decision-for-wba-junior-welter-title-4GEc39XoN4egmqqD9yBOkL) • [2](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/08/05/upset-victory-renton-boxer-el-rayo). Cruz, who had won the belt from Rolando Romero earlier in 2024, disputed the verdict, but the result stood and made Valenzuela a world champion in his second weight class above his lightweight origins[4](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/jose-valenzuela-shocks-isaac-pitbull-cruz-wins-split-decision-for-wba-junior-welter-title-4GEc39XoN4egmqqD9yBOkL).
**Losing the belt and the move back to lightweight.** Valenzuela defended the title against Gary Antuanne Russell and lost, with the WBA recording the bout on February 28, 2025 and The Ring dating the title loss to March 2025[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460) • [5](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/valenzuela-seeks-shot-at-stevenson-russell-rematch-7CIQcAet0t9ORv0Ze05oqD). He returned at lightweight, outpointed Diego Torres over ten rounds in early 2026, and then headlined [Zuffa Boxing](https://www.edgepedia.org/zuffa-boxing) 08 at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas on June 28, 2026, where he knocked out Edwin De Los Santos in the second round to avenge his 2022 defeat[1](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460) • [12](https://api2.compuboxdata.com/round-stats/16060) • [13](https://www.ufc.com/news/zuffa-boxing-08-results-scorecards-highlights-de-los-santos-vs-valenzuela). After the fight he called for a bout with unbeaten junior welterweight titleholder [Shakur Stevenson](https://www.edgepedia.org/shakur-stevenson), who declined the matchup, and Valenzuela also ruled out a trilogy with De Los Santos[5](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/valenzuela-seeks-shot-at-stevenson-russell-rematch-7CIQcAet0t9ORv0Ze05oqD) • [14](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/zuffa-boxing-08-results-highlights-jose-valenzuela-knockout-edwin-de-los-santos/).
## Fighting style
Valenzuela is a southpaw who combines punching power with movement and body work; Premier Boxing Champions has described him as combining speed, power, and ring intelligence beyond his years[2](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/08/05/upset-victory-renton-boxer-el-rayo). Against Cruz he used footwork and distance to blunt a pressure fighter, and against Colbert he showed improved footwork and patience, mixing body and head combinations rather than rushing his work[6](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/bouts/732395). His knockout of De Los Santos in the rematch, a thunderous second-round stoppage, reinforced the power that has defined his career[14](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/zuffa-boxing-08-results-highlights-jose-valenzuela-knockout-edwin-de-los-santos/).
## References
1. [Boxer: JOSE VALENZUELA, WBA official profile](https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-boxer-profile?id=12460)
2. [Renton's "El Rayo" wins upset victory over "Pitbull", Axios Seattle](https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2024/08/05/upset-victory-renton-boxer-el-rayo)
3. [Jose Valenzuela ("El Rayo") Boxer Page, Tapology](https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/213418-jose-valenzuela)
4. [Jose Valenzuela shocks Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz, wins split decision for WBA junior welter title, The Ring](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/jose-valenzuela-shocks-isaac-pitbull-cruz-wins-split-decision-for-wba-junior-welter-title-4GEc39XoN4egmqqD9yBOkL)
5. [Valenzuela Seeks Shot At Stevenson, Russell Rematch, The Ring](https://www.ringmagazine.com/news/valenzuela-seeks-shot-at-stevenson-russell-rematch-7CIQcAet0t9ORv0Ze05oqD)
6. [Chris Colbert vs Jose Valenzuela 2, Premier Boxing Champions](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/bouts/732395)
7. [Jose Valenzuela stuns Edwin De Los Santos with second-round knockout in rematch, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13558733/jose-valenzuela-stuns-edwin-de-los-santos-with-second-round-knockout-in-rematch-to-avenge-defeat)
8. [Jose Valenzuela Prefers to Let His Fists Do the Talking, Premier Boxing Champions](https://www.premierboxingchampions.com/news/jose-valenzuela-prefers-let-his-fists-do-talking)
9. [Seize Your Moment: Jose Valenzuela, Boxing Social](https://boxing-social.com/news/seize-your-moment-jose-valenzuela/)
10. [¿Quién es José "El Rayo" Valenzuela?, Izquierdazo](https://izquierdazo.com/aprofundidad/Quien-es-Jose-Rayo-Valenzuela-De-donde-es-record-titulos-peso-y-edad-20220417-0013.html)
11. [Jose Valenzuela Ready To Put On A Show, Zuffa Boxing 02, UFC](https://www.ufc.com.br/news/jose-valenzuela-ready-put-show-zuffa-boxing-02)
12. [JOSE VALENZUELA UD 10 DIEGO TORRES, CompuBox round stats](https://api2.compuboxdata.com/round-stats/16060)
13. [Zuffa Boxing 08 Results, UFC](https://www.ufc.com/news/zuffa-boxing-08-results-scorecards-highlights-de-los-santos-vs-valenzuela)
14. [Zuffa Boxing 08 results: Jose Valenzuela scores thunderous knockout of Edwin De Los Santos, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/zuffa-boxing-08-results-highlights-jose-valenzuela-knockout-edwin-de-los-santos/)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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