Jose Valenzuela celebrates his upset win over Isaac Cruz. (Photo by Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing)
Three days after climbing a mountain in the 140-pound class, it was ironic that Jose Valenzuela felt the pure impact of his upset victory over Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on his way down a mountain. The newly minted 25-year-old WBA junior welterweight title holder was out for a walk in his home state of Washington when he came across a young couple who noticed his face.
Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) did something not many thought he could do when he handed Cruz a split decision loss on the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov undercard at BMO Stadium on Aug. 3 Los Angeles, California, gave. Ever since Valenzuela captured 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 to the fight. I was in boot camp for four months, and I missed home (Renton, Washington, 20 minutes south of Seattle). I miss the trees and the bushes. I couldn’t wait to take my family out to do something together. We walked in the woods and spent good family time alone.”
That’s when he ran into some fans coming down the side of a mountain. It blew him away that anyone would recognize him in that environment.
“I was thinking like, ‘Wow, man, I’m on a hike, and these people know me,'” Valenzuela said. “What are the odds? We were on a mountain trail and when we came back, this couple knew me. They asked if I was Jose Valenzuela. Then they said: You must rest. They couldn’t believe they were on a hike and bumped into me. I didn’t see that coming. It caught me off guard. It also told me at that moment that everyone was watching that fight. The occasion was great. Think about it, I get these people spotting me on the side of a mountain hiking trail.
“How often does this happen?”
Ever gracious, “Rayo” snapped a few selfies with the passing couple. When he and his family reached the base of the trail, the surge of attention began to mount. He ended 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 was well paid, but this win opened the door to multimillion-dollar paydays,” said Valenzuela, who writes right-handed and does everything else left-handed. “I’m not big on expensive cars, I live in a nice loft here in Washington with my girlfriend. I don’t do expensive things. But I personally think of bigger things, and once I became a world champion, I always thought it was time to build a family.
“Yes, beating Cruz was life-changing.”
He and his family lived in Mexico until he was three. Jose is the younger of two older sisters, one now 29, the other 26. He jokes that his sisters always beat him when he was growing up. He was so small for his age when he entered puberty that the older sister felt closer in age or he had manhood, he says with a laugh. She helped harden him. They fought every day.
As he grew older, he became more of a foundation for the family. “I’m kind of a dad to my two nephews, 8 and 2, and my niece, who’s 12,” he said. “I told my older sister to explain to her children what their uncle Jose is doing and what this fight means to our family. I’m the one trying to teach my nephews and niece life lessons.”
Valenzuela emphasized that beating Cruz meant a lot to his entire family. He remembers the time when the family did not have enough money to pay the electric bill. Valenzuela believed he was carrying the weight of his family behind him the night he beat Cruz. That’s why Valenzuela fell to his knees and cried when the words “… and new” came from the announcer.
He experienced 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., fell ill from construction work under a beating sun. His mother, Yagna, took various jobs in restaurants, cleaning houses, a fish factory, anything to support Jose Jr. to help pay for his boxing expenses.
Jose Sr. now has his own construction company.
Valenzuela would like to get back in the ring late this year or early next year. He is open to a Cruz rematch.
“I would love to fight Cruz again,” Valenzuela said. “I won that battle. There was no doubt that I won that fight. Cruz is a tough guy. He and his father felt they had been robbed. There is a bit of arrogance in him. I stuck to our game plan, and it worked out. I know going into that fight I had doubters.”
If a rematch happens, not many will doubt Valenzuela again. He was on a mountain top.
He promises there is more to climb.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sports writer who has worked for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito (twitter.com)
