Jesse Valdez

Career

That same year, he qualified for the United States. Olympic team as an alternate. The Jesse Valdez Fan club was started by Rudy Ramirez. At the, 1972 Munich Olympic games, Valdez was eliminated from the finals by eventual gold medalist Emilio Correa in a disputed split decision.

Olympic results

Defeated Kolman Kalipe (Togo) 5-0

Defeated Carlos Burga (Peru) 4-1

Defeated David Jackson (Uganda) 4-1

Defeated Anatoly Khohlov (Soviet Union) 5-0

Lost to Emilio Correa (Cuba) 2-3

Valdez never turned pro after his impressive amateur career but remained in the Air Force as a career military manitoba

Achievements

• At sixteen years-old, Valdez won the National Amateur Athletic Union Welterweight Championship in 1964 by upsetting Olympic bronze medalist Quincey Daniels. In 1967, he won a bronze medal at the Pan-American Games. Valdez also won the National Amateur Athletic Union Light Middleweight Championship in 1970, while boxing out of the Air Force. In 1967 he was the National Golden Gloves Light middleweight champion and in 1972 he was the National Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion. In 1972, Valdez, who is of Mexican-American descent, qualified for the United States. national team by defeating future world light-heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad. Valdez would go on to win a bronze medal.