WBA light welterweight champion Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) says he thinks he’s going to have to mix up his game a little by slugging and boxing in his fight against Gary Antuannel Russell (17-1, 17 KOs) this Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
New York. This isn’t a fight where Rayo can depend on winning by being as defensive as he was in his clash against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz last year. Russell is too good for Valenzuela to use one strategy.
Rayo, 25, says he’d like to fight Shakur Stevenson if he’s victorious. He feels that would be a good test for him because he’s hard to hit. He notes that Shakur has been having problems getting opponents, but he’s willing to fight him. However, Stevenson would need to move up to 140, and he might not be willing to do that. Shakur’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, would likely reject the idea of him fighting Rayo because it’s too risky.
“I’m going to have to mix it up. I’m going to have to fight up and personal. I’m going to have to sit down a bit, touch his body, and do a little bit of everything,” said Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela to the Sean Zittel YouTube channel about his fight against Gary Antuanne Russell this Saturday night.
Russell can punch. He might be able to knock out Rayo if he can catch him with some of his big shots. Edwin De Los Santos stopped him in the third round in their fight on September 4, 2022.
“He does one thing, but he’s really good at what he does. He just doesn’t come out of that box. He’s still dangerous because he’s really good at what he does, but I feel I’ve got more tools in my toolkit. He fights everything nice and short. He’s a good fighter.
“I’d like to fight Shakur Stevenson. I know nobody wants to fight him at 135. He’s a fighter I’ve always wanted to fight,” said Rayo. “Because he’s hard to hit. He’s a great fighter and I’m a great fighter. So, I’d like to get in there with him.”
Last Updated on 02/28/2025
