Chris Colbert considers Jose Valenzuela “a loser,” and not because Colbert beat him on all three scorecards 8½ months ago.
Colbert views Valenzuela’s behavior immediately following their closely contested fight and thereafter as actions that don’t align with a winner’s mentality. Valenzuela vehemently disputed the official result of their 10-round lightweight bout in the ring March 25 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Valenzuela later changed trainers, from Jose Benavidez Sr. to his former amateur coach, Mario Rodriguez, who will work Valenzuela’s corner Saturday night for his rematch with Colbert. The second bout between Brooklyn’s Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) and the Mexican-born, Seattle-based Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) will be the third of four fights Showtime will air as part of the network’s last live boxing broadcast from The Armory in Minneapolis.
“That’s what all losers do,” Colbert told BoxingScene.com. “A loser’s not somebody who take a loss. A loser is somebody like him. He’s a loser, the definition of a loser. Cry, complain, act like a little bitch, act like a girl, and then go leave his team. No, you can’t blame it on your team because they’re not the ones that’s fighting for you. You gotta go in there and fight for yourself.
“They gave you a game plan, you just gotta follow it. It’s that simple. So, that’s what losers do. Me, I didn’t change my team. I mean, I ain’t leave my team. I added [Barry Hunter] on to my team. Listen, we ready. We locked in and loaded, man. We ready to do what we do best.”
Colbert could’ve pursued other opponents after defeating Valenzuela on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant undercard. He was instead adamant about beating Valenzuela more convincingly than winning by the same score, 95-94, according to judges Glenn Feldman, Lisa Giampa and Don Trella.
“This rematch was super important,” Colbert said. “As y’all can see, I’m a fighter that like to prove myself. Look at my resume. I like to prove myself, especially coming off a loss [to Dominican underdog Hector Luis Garcia in February 2022]. I came back and fought a dog. I ain’t pick no slouch, no bum. I didn’t have to fight him. I could’ve gone and fought anybody else. I chose to fight him, going up in weight, and I feel like it was a great move. They said the fight was close. I mean, that’s what they say, but all three judges scored it the same. I guess all three judges is blind, but hey, it’s time to clear the air.”
Valenzuela’s left hand dropped Colbert less than 30 seconds into their bout, but Colbert got up, fought through that troublesome moment and won his fair share of rounds. Colbert’s jab was especially effective against a strong southpaw who faded in the later rounds.
“To be honest, I said it’s a close fight,” Colbert said. “I told my corner before the decision, I said, ‘It’s close.’ I told them I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave it a draw or for me to win. Anything else, I woulda been mad. I woulda never been a sore loser about it. It is what it is. You take your sh!t how you take your wins. I’d a been mad, too, cuz I knew I coulda did better.
“I woulda been just mad at myself, not nobody else. I woulda never blamed it on nobody else. I woulda never left my team. I woulda never did none of that. I woulda just went back to the drawing board and picked up where I left off at. So, I don’t know what to say about him. But it’s time to clear the air. Imma shut his little punk ass up once and for all, sit him down.”
Colbert-Valenzuela II is the co-feature of the final “Showtime Championship Boxing” telecast of the premium cable channel’s 37-year run in boxing. This four-fight telecast, which will begin at 9 p.m. ET, will feature WBA world super middleweight champ David Morrell Jr. (9-0, 8 KOs) and challenger Sena Agbeko (28-2, 22 KOs) in the 12-round main event.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.