Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela has already identified his next target following his knockout victory over Edwin De Los Santos.
The former WBA light welterweight champion congratulated William Zepeda after his unanimous decision victory over Lamont Roach Jr. last Saturday before making it clear he wants to meet the newly crowned WBC lightweight champion.
“Felicidades por la victoria. Sin duda, es otra gran pelea que me encantaría hacer. Ojalá algún día podamos compartir el ring,” Valenzuela wrote on X.
Translated, Valenzuela said: “Congratulations on the victory. Without a doubt, it’s another great fight that I’d love to make. Hopefully one day we can share the ring.”
Fresh off his second-round knockout of a ring-rusty Edwin De Los Santos on June 28, Valenzuela (16-3, 10 KOs) is trying to turn that performance into another title opportunity. Before calling for Zepeda, he repeatedly called out fellow Zuffa fighter and WBO light welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson, but those public challenges gained little attention.
Matching Valenzuela with Zepeda presents a different challenge.
Zepeda is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and competes on DAZN, while Valenzuela is now aligned with Zuffa Boxing and fights on Paramount+. Crossing promotional lines and television platforms is possible, but it usually requires a matchup with significant commercial value.
Unless one side is willing to bridge that promotional divide, Valenzuela may have to keep looking in-house for his next opportunity while Zepeda pursues bigger names at lightweight. Neither promotion has shown interest in working together yet.
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Last Updated on 2026/08/05 at 7:28 PM
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