“I’m very grateful for the opportunity and I'm thankful to everyone watching,” said Lucero. “This is something I’ve been dreaming of and it feels amazing. Once I started landing, I thought he was feeling my big shots, and I knew it was a matter of time.”
In an all-Mexico showdown, Lucero and Valenzuela went toe-to-toe from the outset, exchanging heavy fire from close range. It appeared that Lucero had dropped Valenzuela late in round one with a chopping right hand, but the shot was deemed to have connected with the back of Valenzuela’s head by the referee.
Late in a closely contested second frame, it was a counter right hand that did the damage for Lucero, putting Valenzuela down emphatically. While Valenzuela was able to get to his feet, Lucero continued with effective pressure until the fight was waived off.
“I've been preparing for better and better competition,” said Lucero, who is trained by top trainer Bob Santos. “I’m going to train hard and take it fight by fight with my team behind me.”
"It’s a painful loss, but I leave with my head up high,” said Valenzuela. “I felt like I could have continued, but I will learn from this and become stronger for it.”
Sean Michael Ham / TGB Promotions