Their first meeting in September 2022 was an instant classic, with both fighters hitting the canvas before De Los Santos stopped Valenzuela in the third round. The rematch followed a familiar script early, with both men throwing power shots from the opening bell. This time, however, Valenzuela was the sharper, more composed fighter.
The 27-year-old rocked De Los Santos with crushing overhand lefts throughout the opening round before closing the show in spectacular fashion. Just over two minutes into Round 2, Valenzuela landed a perfectly timed counter right hook that flattened De Los Santos.
Referee Thomas Taylor immediately waved off the contest at the 2:05 mark after De Los Santos was unable to continue. Although Valenzuela landed an extra punch after his opponent had fallen, Taylor ruled it did not impact the outcome of the knockout.
Growth Since the First Fight
Following the victory, Valenzuela reflected on how much he has matured since suffering the painful defeat nearly four years ago. “I see he didn’t want to engage in the second round; he was hurt after the first round,” Valenzuela said. “So I knew I had to get him and jump on him before he recovered.”
He credited experience and personal growth for the dramatic turnaround. “I was a boy when we first fought. I grew up, man. I matured a lot. I evolved. This is a good example for everybody out there that you can get better.”
The contrast between the two fighters entering the rematch was significant. De Los Santos had fought just one round since his November 2023 loss to then-WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and appeared rusty throughout the contest.
Jose Valenzuela, meanwhile, stayed active, competing five times during that same stretch. His run included winning the WBA junior welterweight championship with a victory over Isaac Cruz before eventually losing the title to Gary Antuanne Russell in March of last year.
Earlier this year, Valenzuela successfully debuted under the Zuffa Boxing banner with a unanimous decision victory over Diego Torres, carrying that momentum into Sunday’s career-defining performance.
Looking Toward Bigger Fights
The emphatic knockout improved Jose Valenzuela’s record to 16-3 with 10 knockouts and further established him as one of the sport’s most dangerous action fighters.
After celebrating the biggest revenge victory of his career, Valenzuela immediately turned his attention toward another familiar name. He called out The Ring and WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, hoping to earn another opportunity at one of boxing’s elite.
“It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” Valenzuela said. “I just knew what kind of fighter I was. I knew I was better and more complete than De Los Santos.” “I was probably at 30 percent of my abilities in the first fight. I know at 100 percent, I’m hard to beat.”
“You can lose, come back and evolve to become a better fighter and human being, and that’s what I did.”
With revenge secured and confidence restored, Valenzuela may have positioned himself for another championship opportunity as Zuffa Boxing continues to build its roster of top contenders.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
