Chris Colbert vs Jose Valenzuela Preview December 16th, 2023
Chris Colbert of Brooklyn, New York will step back into the ring this Saturday, December 16th when he takes on Jose Valenzuela of Mexico in a rematch after Colbert beat him by a controversial 10-round unanimous decision in March by scores of 95-94 across the board. The 12-round lightweight battle takes place in Minneapolis and can be seen live in America on Showtime. Colbert fought Gonzalez after suffering his lone pro defeat by dropping a 12-round unanimous decision to Hector Luis Garcia in February, 2022 year after being decked in the seventh round. For Valenzuela it was his second straight loss as he was stopped in the third round by Edwin De Los Santos and lost his WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Belt in September, 2022.
Colbert vs Valenzuela Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Chris Colbert +100
- Jose Valenzuela -130
My Pick
The 27-year-old Colbert carries a record of 17-1 with 6 Ko’s. He earned a shot at the interim WBA Super Featherweight Title by stopping Miguel Beltran Jr in the first round for the vacant NABA-USA Lightweight Title in September, 2019. He then beat former world champion Jezzrel Corrales by unanimous decision for the interim title and defended it by stopping Jaime Arboleda in the 11th round and decisioning Tugstsogt Nyambayar before losing to Garcia.
Colbert has fought 127 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 following a fine amateur career. He was the Daily News Golden Gloves champion of New York City in 2014 and won gold at the 2015 National Championships and qualified for the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials. However he decided to turn pro as he believed there was too much politics in the amateurs. Colbert stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 71-inch reach with excellent speed and boxing skills.
He owns a pretty solid chin despite being dropped by Garcia, but doesn’t have much in the way of one-punch power though with a current knockout ratio of just 35.3 per cent. His lack of power hasn’t really been a problem so far though due to his slick boxing skills but he was thoroughly beaten by Garcia and he’s stopped just three of his last eight opponents in Arboleda, Beltran and Mario Briones.
Valenzuela is just 24 years old and enters the contest with a mark of 12-2 with 8 Ko’s and has fought 55 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. He stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 70-inch reach which means the southpaw, who now fights out of America, is two inches taller than Colbert but gives up an inch in reach. He also has the edge in power with a current knockout ratio of 66.7 per cent.
This may not seem like a step up in class for Valenzuela as he stopped former world champion Francisco Vargas in just 85 seconds in April, 2022 for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Title and was then stopped himself five months later by De Los Santos. However, Vargas was pushing 40 years old and was damaged goods when he met him. Valenzuela’s first 11 opponents were basically novices and journeymen as he kicked off his pro career and made his way up the lightweight ranks.
Prediction…
There’s no doubt Valenzuela has good power and he arguably earned at least a draw against Colbert earlier this year and now he’ll have a chance to avenge the loss. Colbert is more mobile and possesses superior boxing skills and speed but Valenzuela applies the pressure and is more relentless. This should be another close fight and again, it can go either way. I think Colbert’s style is a bit more effective though especially if he lets his hands go and his chin holds up. I’m going with Colbert again in a fan-friendly affair.
Colbert will have to work hard for it but should beat Valenzuela again.
Play: Colbert +100 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Chris Colbert betting • Jose Valenzuela betting