Press Release: To infer that “Krazy Horse’’ Charles Bennett and Victor “Joe Boxer” Valenzuela do not like each other would be an understatement of classic proportions. “I don’t want to say I hate the guy because the word hate is a little harsh, but I definitely don’t like him,’’ said “Krazy Horse” (18-13-2), of Ocala, Fla.

 

 “He thinks he beat me in our first fight. I am going to hush ‘Joe Boxer’ up. All he is doing is using my name to try to make himself look good and to make a name for himself. He’s trying to take the spotlight away from me, but that’s impossible.

 

“I look forward to kicking his butt, shutting him up and showing him what a real beating is. He is not at my level, so why does he continue to talk like he is? He’s made this fight personal, very personal.

 

“Now that I think about it, yeah, well, I pretty much hate him,’’

 

Offered “Joe Boxer” (5-2-2), of Covina, Calif.: “I can’t stand ‘Krazy Horse.’ He’s got a big mouth. He got a gift against me and he knows it. Anybody who saw our first fight knows I beat him. I wanted a rematch right away. The only reason he didn’t lose was because the referee didn’t stop it.

 

“He was done, fried, toasted. Any other fight, the ref stops it. I plan on shutting him up once and for all. Fighting on his home turf, I don’t have faith I can win a decision, so I will be going for a knockout for sure. I am really going to try and knock him out this time around. I have waited a long time for this.

 

“It’s just too bad ‘Krazy Horse’ was in jail and we couldn’t fight June 22 as scheduled. Actually, I think he went to jail on purpose. No matter how he acts or what he says, he doesn't want to fight me.’’

 

 The fighters – surprise, surprise – have been keen to get back at each other since their initial encounter on Aug. 5, 2005, at San Jacinto, Calif., ended in a controversial, highly disputed draw.

 

At the finish of a two-round fight, “Krazy Horse’’ lay flat on his back – seemingly unconscious.

 

“He was totally finished,’’ said Valenzuela,’’ who faces Bennett in the main event of ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series on Saturday, Aug. 25, at Vicksburg, Miss., on SHOWTIME. “He couldn’t get up. Two rounds and ‘Krazy Horse’ had nothing left.’’ 

 

“I was not unconscious, just overheated, tired and exhausted because I wasn’t in shape,’’ insisted Bennett. “The question is, did ‘Joe Boxer’ beat me unconscious? If he thinks that way he's dreaming; he is not from planet earth. This time I am going to leave no doubt.

 

            “I let it go after our first fight, but ‘Joe Boxer’ didn’t. So, now, it has become what it is. No way am I lacking motivation for this fight. In fact, I am motivated already. I am not drinking. I am a clean machine. I am in shape. I will knock him out in three and a half minutes.’’

 

The fighters’ verbal exchanges began almost immediately after the first fight and quickly escalated into a full-fledged war of words.

 

 Tension reached a near crescendo after a May 2006 show in Laughlin, Nev. After each had won his match and swapped sarcastic syllables at the post-fight press conference, they nearly came to blows at the host fight hotel’s bar and casino.

 

“Actually, we had our little differences before the first fight, then we fought and I got the raw end of the deal,’’ Valenzuela said. “I have been waiting for a rematch since. He’s been trying to provoke me for two years. He likes to take digs at people; he taunts you. Every time I see him, he is smiling, showing me his fists, talking crap.

 

“I don’t know who he thinks he is, or who he thinks he is talking to or messing with. I can’t think of any grudge match that compares to this. It is just too bad it didn’t happen in June.’’

 

As unlikely as it may have seemed a year ago, “Krazy Horse” has become a bonafide MMA superstar. He has won four in a row, all by knockout.

 

 “It’s a wonder what one victory on SHOWTIME can do for you,’’ he said. “My life has changed a lot ever since. I am more serious than I have ever been. There is a lot of money to be made. Guys are staying on top of me. I have people believing in me. That means a lot.

 

“For anyone to think I could one day become a star is unbelievable.’’

 

“Krazy Horse’’ scored a jaw-breaking, first-round knockout over KJ Noons in the first MMA bout ever shown on premium television—the SHOWTIME premiere of EliteXC (Feb.10, 2007, in Southaven, Miss.).

 

“Some people still think I landed a lucky punch,’’ Bennett said. “I am not getting the credit I deserve. But I know the only way to get credit is too keep winning. Going into that fight, they thought I was old and done. But the Noons’ fight only made me stronger. It rejuvenated me.’’

 

            The shocking victory could not have come at a more opportune time for the second oldest of 12 children, who has literally been on his own since age 14.

 

            “I grew up in Florida, but mostly everywhere and nowhere,” said Bennett. “One thing I have been trying to do is find all my brothers and sisters because I don’t know all of them. Our mom and dad were both drug addicts. They took mom away when I was five.

 

            “My whole life has been a fight, a survival test. I live day by day. I didn’t make it through high school. I graduated from jail. According to the computer, I have been arrested 22 times since 1997. I’ve been busted for marijuana five times. But I’m clean now and ready to fight.

 

“I understand the opportunity presented to me in EliteXC and I’m going to make the best of it. I am going to show everybody. Until recently, nobody believed in me. I am going to shock them. For me to overcome so much, to look back at where I was to where I am today, is truly unbelievable.

 

“Can you believe it? I may become the face of EliteXC!’’