Jose Valenzuela's first title defense of his WBA junior welterweight belt arrives against Gary Antuanne Russell on March 1 in a co-main slot supporting Gervonta Davis' WBA lightweight title defense against Lamont Roach Jr.

The event will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Prime Video and PPV.com

The last time Valenzuela was a co-main event attraction was in August when he rose to the occasion and beat Isaac Cruz by a split decision to snatch the crown away from Pitbull.

“I’m excited to be back and keep my momentum going,” said Valenzuela. “It was a dream come true to become world champion. I just stuck to the game plan and stayed focused. I like this fight better stylistically. Against a short fighter like Pitbull I had to fight on my toes, but against Gary I definitely think there’s going to be a lot of action.”

Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) has rebounded remarkably since surviving a rocky six-month stretch that included the first two losses of his professional career.

The prospect status of "Rayo" was busted when he was knocked out by Edwin De Los Santos in just three rounds in September 2022. Looking to bounce back from the loss against Chris Colbert in March 2023, Valenzuela suffered a disputed unanimous decision defeat. Valenzuela left no doubt in the Colbert rematch, however, scoring a dominant knockout win in December 2023.

Against Russell (17-1-1, 17 KOs), he’ll face a foe who’s finished everyone of his opponents during his wins. However, Russell suffered his first career loss last time out in June, dropping a split decision against Alberto Puello for the WBC interim title.

“Gary is a good fighter, but he’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” said Valenzuela. “He comes forward, double jab, high guard. I think I bring way more to the ring and I’m more crafty. I love everything about this fight. I think getting a win over Russell will open it up for me to get even bigger fights going forward.”

Valenzuela, a 25-year-old southpaw with proven punching power, is ranked No. 10 by The Ring at 140 pounds; Russell is unranked by The Ring.

“Stylistically, I’m tough for anybody,” said Valenzuela. “Some of the big names are gonna try to avoid me. But I’m not worried about that, because I have a tough competitor in front of me and I have to focus on getting this job done. Winning the title just added more fuel to me. Once you get a taste of it, you just want to keep going.”