Jose Valenzuela impresses against Deiner Berrio with UD victory

Lightweight boxing prospect Jose Valenzuela showed off his talents against Deiner Berrio in his first national PBC main event. 

Jose Valenzuela is fast. Seriously though, the 22-year-old lightweight boxer is ridiculously quick with his hands and reflexes. Deiner Berrio found that out the hard way on Saturday, Sept. 18.

In a PBC showcase on FS1 from Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, CA, Valenzuela showed out and gave a boxing exhibition that’s sure to give way to promising opportunities soon.

However, the young fighter didn’t have an easy time with the veteran Berrio.

The PBC fight card was designed to be Valenzuela’s coming-out party. In the early going, everything was going Valenzuela’s way. The southpaw’s jab was working overtime and connecting to Berrio’s head.

In round 3, Valenzuela played with fire when he hit Berrio to the back of the neck with a flagrant punch. Berrio dramatically hit the floor, making it hard to tell if he was seriously hurt or searching for points from the referee.

Berrio (22-4-1, 13 KOs) made it to his feet quickly and resumed boxing.

Lightweight boxing prospect Jose Valenzuela impressed against veteran Deiner Berrio

Valenzuela (10-0, 6 KOs) was cruising through the fight for the first six rounds, but Berrio’s punch output significantly increased in the final four rounds of the battle. His right hand slightly staggered Valenzuela in round 8, and the younger fighter looked a bit fatigued.

The 30-year-old Berrio found a second wind in the final few rounds, but so did Valenzuela, who was fighting in a 10-round fight for the first time. Valenzuela fought well in rounds 9 and 10 and came away with the unanimous decision with scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

Valenzuela has a promising future, but Berrio was a game opponent, and the experience was invaluable for Valenzuela’s continued growth. The young boxer looked good on the national stage and expanded his name recognition.

Expect Valenzuela to be matched with challenging opponents going forward to fast-track his boxing maturity. He’s a growing lightweight with fast hands and a confusing style. He’s still developing physically and mentally, but his first main event was a success.