Valenzuela No Chicken in the Ring

They call him “Pollo,� Spanish for chicken, not because of his mellow mien, but because of that day long ago when all he had to wear was a bright yellow T-shirt -- he looked like a giant chick -- and he was teased mercilessly by the neighborhood kids.

Juan Valenzuela, who grew up in Culiacan, Mexico, has been fighting for respect ever since.

A huge fan favorite at junior welterweight, Valenzuela (19-6, eight knockouts) will meet Guillermo Valdes (12-1, three) of the Dominican Republic tonight in a scheduled 10-round fight as the main event on a six-bout Solo Boxeo card at Grand Olympic Auditorium.

“I feel good, and I’m in good condition,� said Valenzuela, who was one of the first boxers signed by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions in May. “I tell [De La Hoya] all the time that I’m ready for the big names at 140 pounds.�

Valenzuela, 23, has improved his stock from spoiler -- he has handed heavy favorites Julio Diaz and Ricardo Williams shocking upset losses -- to contender.

Should he get by Valdes, Valenzuela will next face World Boxing Council International super-lightweight champion Miguel Cotto (19-0, 16). That would occur May 8 on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez featherweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“We have a lot of confidence in him,� Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez said of Valenzuela. “He’s a dangerous fighter to a lot of fighters.

“A lot of people look at his record, but a lot of those losses have come in fights he’s taken at a week’s notice.�

The co-main event, which will begin at 6 p.m. and will be shown live on Telefutura, will be between Daniel Ponce De Leon (17-0, 17) of Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, and Ivan Alvarez (19-12, eight) of Monteria, Colombia, in a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout.