WBA super lightweight champion Isaac Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) is scheduled to make his first title defense today, when he faces top contender Jose Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The match will be the co-feature to the Terence Crawford versus Israil Madrimov card. The first Riyadh Season card to be held in the United States. Turki Alalshikh is determined to bring boxing fans the best matchups possible and this one doesn’t not disappoint. Fans will be treated to a great boxing card, featuring boxers from multiple promotional companies on one stellar card.
The co-main event may the best match of the night in that it features two warriors who are ready for a war. Isaac Cruz is a pressure fighter who likes to break his opponents down with his relentless attack. He has no quit in him, he will chase and pressure his opponent for the entire match. This match will be no different, he will seek to place immense pressure until Valenzuela succumbs to his relentless attack. Valenzuela claims to be ready and intends to counter with an attack of his own.
To be victorious, Jose Valenzuela must utilize his size effectively. He must box at mid to long range and not get into a firefight with Cruz. He holds a seven-inch reach advantage over Cruz and can utilize that to his advantage by boxing on the outside. Jabbing at distance and using the entire ring will minimize Cruz’s offensive attack. Giovanni Cabrera (22-2, 7 KOs) is a tall lengthy boxer who had limited success against Cruz by employing this strategy, but he was not disciplined enough to commit for the entire 36-minute match. Cabrera deviated by fighting in the pocket, being outlanded in power punches, 152 (Cruz) to 55 (Cabrera) per Compubox.
Jose has improved with new trainer Robert Garcia and looked impressive in his second match against Chris Colbert. He boxed much more intelligently earning the 6th round knockout victory.
Jose has surprisingly good power and at 140 pounds could potentially be even stronger.
However, if he can truly hurt Cruz is something will have to wait and see. Isaac is one of the few fighters who was able to go the distance against knockout artist, Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs). Cruz has great punch resistance and he’s managed to overcome and defeat larger opponents in the past. In the Cabrera match, he was able to get on the inside by parrying and slipping punches. He’ll seek to do the same against Valenzuela who is taller and lengthier than Cruz.
The biggest question is, if Valenzuela can effectively defend against Cruz’s relentless attack? Cruz should also not underestimate Valenzuela and get careless defensively. He does have good power and must be cautious not to get caught while attempting to get on the inside. If Valenzuela cannot defend the relentless attack, Cruz will overpower him with volume and capture the victory.
Last Updated on 08/03/2024
