Jean Pierre Valencia, on the right, lands a punch in his professional debut. Valencia won the fight.
IRVINGTON — An Irvington boxer will be fighting on the biggest stage in New Jersey when he enters the ring at the Prudential Center in Newark for his second pro fight.
Unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Jean Pierre Valencia returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 12 when he faces Cody Jenkins.
The fight will be the first for Valencia at the home of the National Hockey League’s New Jersey Devils, and is a homecoming of sorts as the 24-year-old lives just 15 minutes from the venue.
Valencia made a splash in his pro debut in June, knocking out Patrick Bernard Harris in the first round in Atlantic City. Now Valencia gets his opportunity to fight at the premier sports arena in New Jersey as part of Rising Star Promotions’ “Brick City Fight Night Series” event.
“I feel excited to have my second fight take place at Prudential Center. This is just the beginning. I plan on eventually becoming the main event at this prestigious arena.
It’s Verdugo Time in Newark!,” said Valencia, whose nickname is “El Verdugo de Esmeraldas.”
Valencia, who was born in Esmeraldas, Ecuador and raised in Barcelona, Spain, came to America two years ago to pursue his boxing dreams. He tore through the amateur boxing scene, earning a bronze medal at the 2023 National Golden Gloves, in addition to winning a New Jersey Golden Gloves title, two New Jersey Diamond Gloves titles, and the New York Boxing Tournament title. He was also rated no. 1 in the United States by Boxrec in his weight category.
Valencia is co-managed by former pro boxer Chris Murphy and Valencia’s head trainer Ryan Songalia.
“We’re grateful to be part of this exciting event. Jean Pierre is an all action fighter with big punching power in both hands. This exposure will establish him as one of the state’s most promising young fighters and most popular attractions,” said Songalia.
In the other corner for this four-round scheduled bout, the 31-year-old Jenkins of Culpeper, Va. is a veteran of three pro fights and is seeking his first boxing win. In addition to boxing, Jenkins is also a seasoned veteran of mixed martial arts and bare knuckle boxing, having fought about 20 times in those disciplines.
“Brick City Fight Night Series” will be headlined by a welterweight crossroads fight as Michael “Slick” Anderson (24-3-1, 18 KOs) of Newark faces Daniel “El Gallo” Gonzalez (21-4-1, 7 KOs) of Queens, N.Y. in a ten-round bout.
The rest of the card will feature top talent from the New Jersey and New York area, including Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez (15-2, 8 KOs) of Newark against Brooklyn’s Khalid Twaiti (13-0, 5 KOs) in the ten-round co-main event, plus Anthony Johns (8-1, 6 KOs) of Newark, Kristian Prenga (15-1, 15 KOs) of Edgewater, N.J. and more.
Tickets, priced at $306, $231, $121 and $60, are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting Chris Murphy at 973-723-7036.
Doors for Brick City Fight Night Series open at 6 p.m., with the first bout scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m.
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