At The Armory in Minneapolis, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) scored a vicious sixth-round knockout over Chris “Primetime” Colbert (17-2, 6 KOs) in their WBA lightweight title eliminator that served as a rematch after Colbert edged Valenzuela with a controversial decision in March.

“As soon as I went home I went straight to work,” said Valenzuela. “I want to thank Chris, he’s a hell of a fighter. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here. It takes two to tango, so I’m grateful for him.”

Just like in their first showdown, Valenzuela came out hot and again dropped Colbert early in round one. This time it was with a flurry that pushed Colbert up against the ropes before he was eventually forced to take a knee, part of a staggering 33 punches landed for Valenzuela in the round.

In another repeat of their first fight, Colbert was able to show his grit and use his ring IQ to survive the round, and even went on to have some strong moments over the first few rounds. After Colbert got the unanimous decision in their first fight, largely behind a strong and steady jab, Valenzuela showed improved foot work and patience to set up the eventual victory.

“I gotta tip my hat off to him because he brought out the best in me,” said Valenzuela. “He made me adjust. I knew I was conditioned to go 12 rounds, so I just was being patient. I didn’t want to rush it and punch myself out. I was just teeing off on him. I was throwing combinations to the body and to the head, mixing it up.”

After a big fifth round, Valenzuela came out in round six stalking Colbert around the ring looking for another spot to hurt his opponent. Midway through the round Valenzuela found his moment with a leaping right hook that badly hurt Colbert and forced referee Joel Scobie to stop the bout 1:46 into the round.

“The second time he turned left he saw I was gonna throw a jab so he could catch it up front, but I dipped a little bit and shot the right hook,” said Valenzuela in describing the finishing blow.