Light middleweight
At sixteen years-old, Valdez won the National AAU Welterweight Championship in 1964 by upsetting Olympic bronze medalist Quincey Daniels. That same year, he qualified for the U.S. Olympic team as an alternate. In 1967, he won a bronze medal at the Pan-American Games. Valdez also won the National AAU 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. The Jesse Valdez Fan club was started by Rudy Ramirez.