Three days after he climbed a mountain in the 140-pound class, it was ironic that Jose Valenzuela felt the pure impact of his upset win over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on his way down a mountain. The newly minted 25-year-old WBA junior welterweight titlist had gone on a hiking trip in his home state of Washington when he came across a young couple who noticed his face.
Valenzuela (14-2, 9 knockouts) did something not many thought he could do when he handed Cruz a split-decision loss on August 3 on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Ever since Valenzuela wrested the WBA title from Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs), the young southpaw has found his world changing.
“It was three days after the (Cruz) fight and I wanted to do something with family,” Valenzuela recently told The Ring. “All my family from Mexico came up to see the fight. I had been in training camp for four months, and I missed home (Renton, Washington, 20 minutes south of Seattle). I miss the trees and the woods. I could not wait to take my family out to do something together. We were in the woods hiking, spending good family time alone.”
That is when he ran into a few fans coming down the side of a mountain. It blew him away that anyone would recognize him in that setting.
“I was thinking like, ‘Wow, man, I’m on a hike, and these people know me,’” Valenzuela said. “What are the odds? We were coming down a mountain trail and once we came back down, this couple knew me. They asked if I was Jose Valenzuela. Then they said, ‘You should be resting.’ They could not believe they were on a hike and bumping into me. I didn’t see that coming. That caught me off guard. It also told me at that moment instantly everyone was watching that fight. The event was huge. Think about it, I get these people who notice me on the side of a mountain hiking trail.
“How often does that happen?”
Ever gracious, “Rayo” took some selfies with the passing couple. As he and his family reached the base of the trail, the surge of attention began to build. He wound up taking selfies with everyone.
The Cruz victory changed his life, Valenzuela said. He made a career-high payday in the six-figure range.
“I got paid well, but this win opened the door for million-dollar paydays,” said Valenzuela, who writes right-handed and does everything else left-handed. “I’m not big into expensive cars, I live in a nice little loft here in Washington with my girlfriend. I don’t do expensive things. But I am thinking of bigger things personally, and as soon as I became a world champion, I always thought it was time to build a family.
“Yeah, beating Cruz was life changing.”
He and his family lived in Mexico until he was three. Jose is the youngest of two older sisters, one now 29, the other 26. He jokes that his sisters used to beat on him growing up. He was so tiny for his age when he entered puberty that the older sister nearest in age felt like she had man strength, he says laughing. She helped toughen him up. They fought every day.
As he got older, he became more of a foundational piece for the family. “I’m kind of a father to my two nephews, 8 and 2, and my niece, who is 12,” he said. “I told my older sister to explain to her kids what their Uncle Jose was doing and what this fight means to our family. I’m the one who tries to teach my nephews and niece life lessons.”
Valenzuela stressed that beating Cruz meant much to his whole family. He remembers the time the family did not have enough money to pay the electric bill. Valenzuela believed he carried the weight of his family behind him the night he beat Cruz. It’s why Valenzuela fell to his knees and cried when the words “… and new” came from the announcer.
He lived the trials and tribulations they endured. When he was younger, his family moved around in search of stability. In 2008, his father, Jose Valenzuela Sr., became ill from working construction under a pounding sun. His mother, Yagna, took on various jobs in restaurants, cleaning houses, a fish factory, anything to help pay for Jose Jr.’s boxing expenses.
Jose Sr. now has his own construction company.
Valenzuela is looking to get back into the ring sometime late this year or early next year. He is open for a Cruz rematch.
“I would love to fight Cruz again,” Valenzuela said. “I won that fight. There was no doubt I won that fight. Cruz is a tough guy. He and his dad felt that they got robbed. There is a little bit of arrogance to him. I stuck to our game plan, and it worked out. I know going into that fight I had doubters.”
If a rematch takes place, not many will doubt Valenzuela again. He’s been to a mountain top.
He vows there is more to climb.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]
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