MGM Grand, Las Vegas – A battle of rising young contenders saw Chris “Primetime” Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) edged out Jose Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) on the scorecards after 10 rounds of lightweight action. All three judges saw the fight 95-94 in favor of Colbert.
Valenzuela, a stablemate of David Benavidez and trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., got off to a quick start following the first loss of his career last September. Valenzuela sent a charging Colbert stumbling to the mat with a picture perfect counter left hook. Throughout the fight Valenzuela held the edge in power punching, landing 117 power shots to Colbert’s 77.
Colbert, who also came into the fight off his first loss, was able to show his fortitude in rising to his feet after the knockdown and making it through the round with a significant amount of time left in the frame. The Brooklyn native Colbert was able to box effectively throughout the remainder of the fight and avoid a return trip to the mat, using a jab that he out landed Valenzuela with at a 47 to 15 clip.
“It was a hell of a fight,” said Colbert. “At the end of the day, I’m not the judge and I’m not a sore loser. I’m a man. I can take it on the chin like a man. He’s a sore loser. I out-boxed him and hit him with more jabs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a man and he had his spurts. He hit me with some good shots but then he stopped and I jabbed and I jabbed and I jabbed. He got the knockdown but it’s a 10-round fight.”
The middle rounds saw tremendous back and forth action from both competitors. After Valenzuela spent much of round six blitzing Colbert and forcing him to the ropes, Colbert responded in round seven with effective movement and pot shots. After Valenzuela was again successful pushing Colbert to the ropes in round eight, Colbert responded smartly and fought at an effective distance in round nine.
In the final round, Valenzuela appeared to punctuate a victory by hurting Colbert in the closing seconds with a volley of power shots, but he was ultimately edged on all three cards before calling for a rematch with Colbert.