Valenzuela-Xilohua Heats up

JAMESTOWN, CALIFORNIA – Unbeaten Noli Valenzuela fights outside of his native Mexico for the first time to meet streaking local prospect Irving Xilohua in the intriguing eight-round featherweight main event of the Toscano Boxing Promotions’ “Rising Stars” event from the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort on Thursday night. Fighters for the six-bout card weighed-in at the host venue on Wednesday afternoon. 

Valenzuela (12-0, 6 KOs) of Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico was last in the ring in April, scoring a fourth-round knockout of once-beaten Alan Zaid Rodriguez Montiel in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The win marked the third straight stoppage victory for the southpaw Valenzuela. 

Xilohua (9-1, 6 KOs) of Stockton, California has won four straight, including three stoppages, since his lone professional setback, a six-round majority decision defeat to tough journeyman Diuhl Olguin. In his last outing in May, Xilohua stopped Enrique Uvalle inside of two rounds at the Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium. Xilohua will be stepping up to the eight-round distance for the first time as a professional, while Valenzuela has been scheduled for eight or more on five previous occasions and went the distance in two of those instances. 

There was a bit of drama at the official weigh-in on Wednesday afternoon. Xilohua stepped on the scale first, with the bout contracted at 126-pounds, and made 125.4-pounds. Valenzuela, who was one of the last fighters to arrive for the official weigh-in, came in one pound over at 127-pounds. After a bit of shouting between camps, Valenzuela left to attempt to sweat off the last pound. On his last attempt, Valenzuela came in at 126.6-pounds and an agreement was reached to keep the main event intact. 

Juan Zamorano (6-1, 6 KOs) of Rosamorada, Nayarit, Mexico will end a nearly two-year layoff against the rugged Marco Antonio Delgado (7-6-1, 5 KOs) of Turlock, California in a six-round light heavyweight bout. Zamorano, looking to get back on track after suffering his lone pro defeat in his last bout, weighed-in at 172-pounds. Delgado, whose previous five opponents had a combined record of 44-4, weighed-in at the light heavyweight limit of 175.

Lightweight prospect Nicholas Saavedra (3-0, 1 KO) of Modesto, California will move up to the six-round distance when he takes on Juan Guillermo Montero (4-2-1, 3 KOs) of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico on Thursday night. Saavedra, fresh off of a third-round stoppage of Richard Esquibel on May 24th, weighed-in at 133.4-pounds, while Montero weighed-in just under the junior welterweight limit at 139-pounds. 

After posting two consecutive MMA victories since his pro boxing debut last year, Pedro Juarez (1-0) of Tracy, California will return to the ring to take on Harley Sampson (1-0, 1 KO) of Reno, Nevada in a four-round lightweight bout. For the bout that Toscano Boxing Promotions’ Israel Guajardo predicted will be the fight of the night, Juarez and Sampson both made the lightweight limit of 135-pounds. 

Making his U.S. debut, 19-year-old Damian Flores (2-0-1, 2 KOs) of Ceres, California will meet debuting Adrian Mendoza of Carson City, Nevada in a four-round super flyweight bout. The 5’8” Flores scaled 115.2, while the 5’4” Mendoza came in at 112.6-pounds. 

In the opener, Benigno Gaona Diaz (1-1, 1 KO) of Galt, California by way of Pabellon de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Mexico will look to bounce back from a decision defeat in January against Lai Thang (1-3) of Dallas, Texas in a four-round featherweight bout. Gaona Diaz came in at 123.6-pounds, while Thang weighed-in at the division limit of 126. 

The “Rising Stars” event will be available for live stream on the Toscano Boxing Promotions’ YouTube page.

Quick Weigh-in Results:

Featherweights, 8 Rounds 

Valenzuela 126.6*

Xilohua 125.4

Light heavyweights, 6 Rounds

Zamorano 172

Delgado 175

Lightweights, 6 Rounds

Saavedra 133.4

Montero 139

Lightweights, 4 Rounds

Juarez 135

Sampson 135

Super flyweights, 4 Rounds 

Flores 115.2

Mendoza 112.6 

Featherweights, 4 Rounds

Gaona Diaz 123.6

Thang 126

*Valenzuela originally weighed-in 1 pound over the contracted limit of 126 on first attempt

Tickets for the event, promoted by Toscano Boxing Promotions, are available online at Ticketon.com 

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com