Jose Luis Valbuena

Weight - 122 (super bantamweight)
Date of Birth - March 19, 1971
Hometown - Tumero , Venezuela
Record - 24-2-1 (14 Knockouts)

Slick boxing southpaw Jose Luis Valbuena is one of the most underrated 122-pounders in the world. But with an almost four-year undefeated streak under his belt, he won't be under boxing fans' radar much longer.

Born and raised in Tumero, the Venezuelan turned pro at 24 on November 11, 1995, with a third round stoppage of Manuel Rojas in Caracas. By his fifth fight he was fighting and winning ten rounders, and in his eighth fight he won his first pro title when he decisioned Antonio Osorio on March 7, 1997, to win the Venezuelan super bantamweight title.

Two months later, the still learning Valbuena lost his title via a close 12 round decision to the more experienced Yober Ortega, but he quickly got back on the winning track, scoring 11 victories without a defeat. The only blemish in this streak was a ten round draw with his close friend Carlos Barreto on April 30, 1998.

The two would meet again on October 9, 1999, and after another grueling battle, Valbuena scored a tenth round stoppage over Barreto. Unfortunately, Barreto fell into a coma and died three days after the bout, devastating Valbuena.

And though the Tumero native questioned whether he wanted to continue with his career after the death of his friend, Barreto's parents encouraged Jose Luis to keep fighting, and he did, winning two fights (KO 5 Nelson Medina, TKO 3 John Alex Gonzalez).

These victories earned Valbuena a shot at highly regarded WBO champion Marco Antonio Barrera on September 9, 2000. And though he was a huge underdog, Valbuena's style frustrated Barrera, and the Venezuelan fought well in losing a close, but unanimous decision to the "Baby-Faced Assassin".

Since the loss to Barrera, Valbuena has rung up six wins, including four knockouts. In his last bout, on October 23, 2003, Jose Luis stopped David Donis in nine rounds to earn a shot at the IBF super bantamweight title, an opportunity he will get on March 25 when he battles Israel Vazquez on HBO Latino's "Oscar De La Hoya Presents Boxeo De Oro".

Jose Luis Valbuena is currently ranked first in the world by the IBF.