Isaac Cruz vs Jose Valenzuela Preview August 3rd, 2024
WBA Junior Welterweight Champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz of Mexico City defends his belt for the first time when he takes on fellow countryman Jose Valenzuela this Saturday, August 3rd. The 12-rounder from Los Angeles, California is on the undercard of the Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov tilt and can be seen live on pay-per-view in most nations including DAZN and ESPN platforms. Cruz won the title in his last outing in March when he stopped Rolando Romero in the eighth round. In his previous fight last July, he edged Giovanni Cabrera by 12-round split decision to hold onto his WBC Silver Lightweight title and win the vacant WBO Latino lightweight Belt. Valenzuela last saw action in December when he stopped Chris Colbert in the sixth round in of a rematch. The pair first fought nine months earlier with Colbert winning a controversial 10-round unanimous decision by scores of 95-94 across the board.
Cruz vs Valenzuela Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Jose Valenzuela +300
- Isaac Cruz -400
My Pick
The 26-year-old Cruz made a name for himself on the world stage in December, 2021 when he dropped an exciting 12-round unanimous decision to WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta Davis. Since then he’s bounced back with a fifth-round stoppage of Yuriorkis Gamboa for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight Belt and stopped Eduardo Ramirez in the second round before his close split decision win over Giovanni Cabrera and then taking the belt from Romero. This brings Cruz’s current record to 26-2-1 with 18 Ko’s and he’s boxed 148 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015.
Cruz is known for having pretty good power in his fists as 69.2 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage. He isn’t really regarded as a one-punch KO artist though and has gone the distance in six of his last 10 fights. Cruz measures 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 63-inch wingspan. He moved up in weight to take on Romero and this is is second fight in the 140 lb junior welterweight division.
His his toughest opponents to date have been Davis, Romero and Gamboa as well as an aging Francisco Vargas and former world champ Diego Magdaleno, who he stopped in just 53 seconds in 2020. Cruz’s first pro defeat came at the hands of Luis Miguel Montano via an eight-round unanimous decision in February, 2016 while his lone draw was a six-round affair with Jose Capilla in 2017. Cruz has an aggressive non-stop punching style which makes him very dangerous as well as fan friendly.
The 25-year-old Valenzuela makes the ring walk with a mark of 13-2 with 9 Ko’s and has fought just 61 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. He stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 70-inch reach which means the southpaw, who now fights out of America, has a huge size advantage on the champion as he possesses a six-inch edge in height and a seven-inch reach advantage. He equals Cruz’s power as 69.2 per cent of his victories have also been by stoppage, including eight of his past nine.
Valenzuela made headlines when he stopped former world champion Francisco Vargas in just 85 seconds in April, 2022 for the vacant WBC Continental Americas Lightweight Title but was then stopped himself in the third round five months later by Edwin De Los Santos and lost the belt. He then dropped his second straight contest when Chris Colbert edged him in their first battle. Valenzuela’s first 11 opponents were basically novices and journeymen as he kicked off his pro career and made his way up the lightweight ranks and he’ll be fighting as a junior welterweight for the first time this weekend.
Prediction…
Valenzuela and Cruz both carry plenty of power and could change the course of a fight with just one punch. Valenzuela has a big height and reach advantage here even though he’s moving up in weight, so Cruz will need to work his way inside to lets his hands go. This could go either way if Valenzuela can use his size advantage but I’ll give Cruz the edge as he’s faced stiffer opposition as a pro.
I think Cruz’s experience is the deciding factor.
Play: Cruz -400 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Isaac Cruz betting • Jose Valenzuela betting