Valenzuela won 99-91 on all three of the judges’ scorecards.  The paths to victory for Valenzuela (15-3, 9 KOs) and Torres (22-2, 19 KOs) were evident from the opening bell. Valenzuela, of Reno, Nevada, boasted the more versatile skillset, while Torres, 28, needed to work his way to the inside to use his advantage in strength and power. After a nip and tuck start to the fight where both fighters had their moments, Torres cut Valenzuela just outside of his right eyelid with a left hook early in the fourth round, which led to one of the best exchanges of the fight, Torres put his foot on the gas, while Valenzuela alternated moving and trading punches.

Referee Robert Hoyle briefly stopped the action to allow the ringside doctor to look at the cut before allowing the action to resume. That served as a turning point in the fight, as the cut gave the left-handed Valenzuela a sense of urgency that motivated him show his championship acumen.  The former 140-pound world titleholder started finding a home for his left hand as he kept the hard-charging Torres from sustaining any offense. Valenzuela thoroughly outboxed Torres in the second half to pull away and get back into the win column. 

“He came out hot,” Valenzuela said after the fight. “I got caught in the fire, and smelled blood and I got a little excited. I had to just relax and remember the game plan.” Valenzuela was coming off a one-sided, unanimous decision defeat to Gary Antuanne Russell in March of last year. He was fighting at lightweight for the first time since December of 2023.

“I never got handouts,” Valenzuela said. “I'm just used to taking hard fights. Life's been hard, and I don't look for the easy route. I felt great. I felt a little faster and I felt more like myself.”

Torres, of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, had his win streak snapped at four with the loss to Valenzuela. 

In other fights: 10 rounds, middleweight: Serhii Bohachuk (27-3, 24 KOs) def. Radzhab Butaev (16-2, 12 KOs) by split decision (96-94 x2, 94-96) 10 rounds, light heavyweight: Radivoje Kalajdzic (30-3, 22 KOs) def. Oleksandr Gvozdyk (21-3, 17 KOs) by seventh-round knockout 10 rounds, 157-pound catchweight: Jalil Hackett (12-1, 9 KOs) def. Roberto Cruz (11-2, 7 KOs) by majority decision (97-93, 96-94, 95-95) 8 rounds, lightweight: Justin Viloria (12-0, 8 KOs) def. Oscar Perez (14-1-2, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision (79-73, 78-74, 77-75) 8 rounds, 150-pound catchweight: Damoni Cato-Cain (9-1-2, 7 KOs) def. Christian Morales (7-1, 7 KOs) by unanimous decision (80-72, 79-73, 77-75) 6 rounds, heavyweight: Damazion Vanhouter (11-0, 8 KOs) def. Julian Gomez (7-4, 2 KOs) by third-round TKO 6 rounds, cruiserweight: Jamar Talley (6-0, 5 KOs) def. Devonte Williams (13-4, 6 KOs) by second-round knockout