El Centro PAL to unleash their first “Animal” in upcoming pro boxing bouts |

EL CENTRO – With over 100 amateur boxing bouts and one pro win already under his belt, El Centro PAL’s “El Animal” is preparing to be uncaged for his two upcoming professional boxing matches, both in Mexico, on March 9 and again on April 13.

Selma, California-born, El Centro-raised Josue “El Animal” Valenzuela continues on as El Centro Police Athletic League’s (EC PAL) first professional boxer, with seasoned amateur boxing Coach Joseph “Joe P.” Peres leading Valenzuela into his next two pro boxing fights – on March 9 at Salon CTM in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and on April 13 at the Gladiator Arena in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

“Nothing is more important than March 9 and we’re not going to look past it,” Coach Peres told IVP in an interview on Tuesday, February 27. “It’s supposed to be somewhat of a tune up for us but we’re not taking it lightly.”

“It’s our first fight together as a pro team and everything is geared towards his big fight in Mexicali on April 13,” Peres said.

Valenzuela, an El Centro resident, is progressing well as he moves on in his early professional boxing career, according to the coach.

“His weight is coming off, his conditioning is looking good, he sparred eight rounds last weekend and I think it’s important, him being from El Centro, that the Valley reads this in the paper and supports him,” Peres said, “even if only to say, ‘Hey, we got a local boxer? I wish him well.’”

Valenzuela won his first professional bout on June 10, 2023, by a knockout, also in Mexico, against Mexican boxer Alfredo Robles. Now after taking on Peres as his coach last fall, Valenzuela is ready to continue on, building his budding boxing career.

“I feel pretty nice. For this fight I’m going to have more conditioning because I’ve really trained hard with Coach Joseph,” the 19-year-old said.

“I’ve trained a lot of high-level amateurs,” Peres said, “but the big difference about Josue and any other boxer I’ve worked with in the Valley is his amateur experience; the dedication that he’s put it since he was 6 years old to the time that I’ve met him now at 19.”

Peres, who also coaches some national champion amateur boxers in younger age and lower weight classes than Valenzuela, has been taking Valenzuela around to other boxing tournaments where his champion fighters compete to give Valenzuela a look at what boxing looks like in other parts of the state.

Peres and his 10-time champion Damon “Pistol” Flores, of the Bay Area, recently competed in a two-day tournament in Mexicali “and we were victorious, and now my focus is on Josue, March 9 and April 13, and building our first champion out of the El Centro PAL boxing program with Josue ‘El Animal’ Valenzuela, our first pro fighter.”

“The hard work is in the trainings; the fight is like a…