Valencia scores first round knockout

NEWARK, NJ — Irvington’s own Jean Pierre Valencia scored a knock out in the first round of his fight in New Jersey’s biggest venue on
Saturday, Oct. 12.

The 24-year-old boxer had dreamed of fighting at the Prudential Center after watching world champions like Shakur Stevenson compete at the venue. Valencia finally made that dream come true, knocking out Cody Jenkins of Culpeper, Va. at the 1:49 mark of round one to improve his record to 2-0 (2 knockouts) in his professional career.

Valencia, who competes in the 154-pound division, began the fight patiently before finishing off his opponent with a series of power punches that planted the 31-year-old Jenkins into the corner for the ten count.

“I dedicate this victory to my family, coaches and all the people who have come to support me and have put in the effort to make this possible,” said Valencia, a native of Esmeraldas, Ecuador who grew up in Barcelona, Spain.

Valencia finished off Jenkins 15 seconds faster than he did his previous opponent on June 8, when he knocked out Patrick Harris at the 2:04 mark in his professional debut in Atlantic City.

Valencia’s head trainer/co-manager Ryan Songalia says the plan is to get Valencia at least one more fight by the end of the year, before focusing on creating even more buzz in 2025 with a busy schedule.

“I’m very pleased with Jean Pierre’s progress so far. We were hoping to get more rounds out of Jenkins, but with the punching power Jean Pierre possesses, we will often have to settle for blowout victories. Everyone loves a puncher, and Jean Pierre brings lots of excitement,” said Songalia, who co-manages Valencia with Chris Murphy.

“Jean Pierre is the best kept secret in New Jersey boxing, but the secret will be out once he gets seen by a bigger audience. I have no doubt that he will be a world champion.”

Valencia was a decorated amateur champion prior to turning professional, having won 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 number one in the United States by Boxrec in his weight category.

  Boxing, Irvington, Jean Pierre Valencia