Canizales Will Try to Ring Up Valdez

Orlando Canizales, longest-reigning bantamweight champion in history and among boxing’s best pound-for-pound punchers, will fight for the first time in Southern California tonight at the Reseda Country Club.

Canizales, 48-3-1 with 35 knockouts, will fight journeyman Tomas Valdez in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Canizales, 32, won the bantamweight title in 1988 and made a record 16 successful defenses before relinquishing the belt in 1995 to move up in weight.

Canizales won a 10-round decision over Javier Diaz in his last fight in May. Valdez is 33-26-2 with 27 knockouts.

The program, which begins at 7:30, will include football player turned boxer Alonzo Highsmith against Terry Verners in a four-round heavyweight bout.

Highsmith, 32, a former running back for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers, is undefeated in 27 fights with 23 knockouts.

An All-American football player at Miami, Highsmith was the third overall selection in the 1987 draft. A series of knee injuries ended his football career in 1993. He turned to boxing in 1995.

Highsmith knocked out Mark Gastineau, former defensive end for the New York Jets, in the second round.

The undercard will include Victor Ortiz (3-0), a light-heavyweight from Simi Valley.

Middleweight Eddie Gutierrez of Palmdale, who won a four-round decision at the Country Club last month, also is scheduled.