Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela was apoplectic when he was given the first results. After going 10 hard-fought rounds with Chris Colbert a few months prior, the 24-year-old believed he did more than enough to earn the victory. He was wrong.
Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) lashed out at Colbert, demanded a rematch, and refused to take no for an answer. His bellyaching, ultimately, got him the sequel he believed he deserved. This time around, he told the three judges sitting ringside to take a smoke break as he got rid of Colbert before the sound of the final bell.
Before taking care of business, Valenzuela was given extra motivation to get the job done. With the WBA making their rematch a title eliminator, Valenzuela knew that a win would put him in the driver’s seat for a showdown with Gervonta Davis.
Immediately after decapitating Colbert, Valenzuela began putting pressure on the sanctioning body. The Mexican native is convinced that he’s earned his spot with one of boxing’s biggest stars and won’t be summarily dismissed.
Kenny Ellis, however, one of Davis’ assistant trainers, cracked a smile while Valenzuela continued to call out his fighter. If Davis decides that Valenzuela is next, fans should expect a short and violent night.
“I don’t got him getting out of three rounds with Tank,” said Ellis during an interview with MillCity Boxing.
Normally, Davis doesn’t play around with his food. Before closing the curtains on his 2023, the Baltimore native took out a pair of Garcia’s. Since ending their brazen trash talk, Davis (29-0, 27 KOs) has been seen going back and forth with Devin Haney.
Presently, everything is fluid. Meaning, he’s still in need of a dance partner. Valenzuela, considering his recent track record, is somewhat worthy of sharing the ring with Davis according to Ellis. With that said, he has one glaring and obvious weakness that he must correct if he hopes to stand any chance with the pound-for-pound star.
“Every time he engages he makes a crucial mistake,” explained Ellis. “Every time, not sometimes, every time he engages. Tank would get him in three rounds, if not less.”