In 1972, Valdez, who is of Mexican-American descent, qualified for the U.S. national team by defeating future world light-heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
Muhammad | Muhammad Ali | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | Eddie Murphy | Eddie Cantor | Muhammad Yunus | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | Muhammad Iqbal | Eddie Van Halen | Muhammad Ali of Egypt | Eddie Izzard | Eddie Rickenbacker | Hussain Muhammad Ershad | Eddie Money | Eddie | Muhammad Shah | Eddie Gomez | Eddie Albert | Eddie Cochran | Eddie Rabbitt | Eddie Henderson | Eddie Garcia | Eddie Harris | Eddie Campbell | Eddie Bauer | The Courtship of Eddie's Father | Mustafa Sandal | Eddie Rambeau | Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis | Eddie Kendricks |
Future light heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad knocked Hart out in the fourth round on August 26, 1974, and future middleweight king Vito Antuofermo KOed Hart in the fifth round of their March 11, 1977 match.