In an effort to void his management agreement, WBA junior-welterweight champion Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela has filed a lawsuit in Southern California.
The claim against former trainer and manager Jose Benavidez Snr, and veteran boxing attorney David Garcia seeks to free Valenzuela 14-2 (9 KOs) from the ties to a management contract with Benavidez Snr and Garcia that runs through Christmas Eve, 2026.
While the root of Valenzuela’s claim is to separate from an arrangement that requires him to pay the management team 33 and 1/3 per cent of his earnings – a split Valenzuela attorneys characterize as onerous – the lawsuit also seeks clarification on the licensing required of boxing managers.
Valenzuela, 25, is coming off his greatest career victory, an August 3 split-decision triumph in Los Angeles over the popular Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz of Mexico.
Before the Cruz fight, Valenzuela split with Benavidez Snr – who has his unbeaten light-heavyweight son, David, former welterweight title challenger son, Jose Jnr, and unbeaten super-middleweight contender Diego Pacheco in his stable – in favor of likely 2024 trainer of the year, Robert Garcia.
As Valenzuela now moves toward a first title defense versus Gary Antuanne Russell on a March 1 pay-per-view card in New York headlined by WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis versus Lamont Roach, he is working without Benavidez Snr and Garcia.
Garcia did not immediately respond to phone calls or text messages from BoxingScene Monday while Benavidez Snr declined to elaborate on past comments about Valenzuela’s interest in splitting with him.
Benavidez Snr previously told BoxingScene he was pleased to have guided Valenzuela since his late teenage years to the world title, saying he “kind of adopted” the fighter along the path that soured with Valenzuela losing back-to-back bouts against Edwin De Los Santos and Chris Colbert.
Valenzuela moved to trainer Robert Garcia and Benavidez Snr said he approved of the switch, adding he has text messages telling Valenzuela he loves the fighter and would be willing (at that point) to step aside as manager if that’s what Valenzuela wanted. That request was denied by Valenzuela, Benavidez Snr said back then.
The lawsuit claims the contract entitled Benavidez Sr. 25% of Valenzuela’s purse with attorney Garcia earning 8 and 1/3%. Benavidez Snr claimed previously to BoxingScene that he gave Valenzuela a 10% cut from the Cruz fight to pay trainer Garcia.
In the lawsuit, Valenzuela attorneys write, “Upon a closer examination of the agreement, and the circumstances surrounding its formation, the contract is illegal, unenforceable, and invalid, thus holding no legal effect for a multitude of reasons.”
The contract may still possibly be scrutinized in a California State Athletic Commission arbitration hearing, said a state official familiar with the claim.
Whether either venue produces a precedent-setting ruling is unclear, but Valenzuela’s attorneys, including Joel M. Siegel and Blake L. Osborn, are seeking clarity on the common boxing practice of fighter lawyers serving as managers without a state license.
The state bar offers protections for attorneys to represent the best interests of their clients, with many lawyers taking the liberty to take the reins as a boxing manager.
“When the Agreement was signed, Garcia chose to represent two clients (Valenzuela and Benavidez Snr) at once with directly conflicting interests, and with no discussion of informed written consent,” Valenzuela’s attorneys wrote in the Nov. 22 lawsuit.
They cited legal language in bylaws stating, “A lawyer shall not, without informed written consent from each client … represent a client if the representation is directly adverse to another client in the same or a separate matter.”
“Because the rules were violated and the agreement stemmed from such violations, those contracts are unenforceable and voidable,” the Valenzuela attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
Valenzuela’s lawsuit claims lawyer Garcia and Benavidez Snr lacked a manager’s license when they contracted with Valenzuela.
Benavidez Snr said previously, “All I wanted was a thank you,” for moving Valenzuela’s career along before talk of a split arrived. How it plays out now that attorneys are involved and a court date my loom is unknown.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this before,” Benavidez Snr told BoxingScene Monday. “I’m just trying to clear everything up, protect myself and I’ll tell the real story to the world if a judge says to.”
Valenzuela’s attorneys say they’ve been advised by the California commission that “future purses from his boxing matches shall be held in escrow pending resolution of this dispute.”
The attorneys are seeking a declaration from the court that the existing contract between Valenzuela, Benavidez Snr, and attorney Garcia is “unlawful and unenforceable.”
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