It did not take lengthy for Isaac Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) to nook boxing’s North American market. The 28-year-old, who fights like his nickname “Pitbull” suggests, is a fan-friendly performer within the ring no matter whether or not that canvas was in Mexico Metropolis, Southern California, Las Vegas or Texas. The place there’s Cruz, there’s Pitbull-mania.
He returns to the ring Saturday for a headline struggle towards Nestor Bravo (24-1, 17 KOs) at San Diego’s Pechanga Area on DAZN — a protection of Cruz’s interim WBC tremendous light-weight title.
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However Cruz is not settling for the South and the West. He desires to take his present worldwide.
“Why not struggle Dalton Smith (19-0, 14 KOs) in England?” Cruz advised Uncrowned days earlier than he fights Bravo on Saturday.
Smith is the WBC’s full champion within the division having gained the belt with a fifth-round technical knockout of Subriel Matias on Jan. 10. Smith fights Alberto Puello in a protection of that title Oct. 4 on the Utilita Area in Sheffield, England.
Although Cruz insists he is targeted on Bravo, he “foresees no drawback” defeating him to arrange a conflict with the Smith-Puello winner.
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“It will be superior to have the ability to go struggle in England with the good crowds there and do the unthinkable,” he mentioned. “Go over there, pull off that feat to win the belt, and produce it again house.”
Isaac Cruz, 28, moved up from light-weight solely just lately and provides up 5 inches in top to Nestor Bravo.
(Cris Esqueda by way of Getty Photographs)
Cruz faces dimension disadvantages heading into his weekend struggle earlier than he can take into consideration calling out Smith.
Bravo, at 5-foot-9, is 5 inches taller than “Pitbull” and accustomed to competing at tremendous light-weight. The Puerto Rican has spent his total profession at 140 kilos, whereas Cruz has solely just lately moved up from light-weight.
Bravo carries momentum into the San Diego ring, too, contemplating the left hook he landed on Pedro Campa in January. It was a shot that secured him a second-round knockout win and put him on the business’s radar heading into his struggle with Cruz.
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Regardless, he is a substantial underdog. And he insists he will meet Cruz head-on fairly than field cautiously. “He likes to struggle similar to I do,” he mentioned just lately in an announcement despatched to Uncrowned.
After dropping a break up resolution to Jose Valenzuela in 2024, Cruz rebounded by successful a Struggle of the Yr contender towards Angel Fierro the next 12 months. He beat Omar Salcido, too, solely to share a majority draw with Lamont Roach on the finish of 2025.
Inside a primary camp with Eddy Reynoso
Cruz then needed to make a change and so he leaned on a relationship that started when he was round 21 years outdated when an acquaintance of his organized a gathering with Eddy Reynoso, the revered coach and supervisor who has helped steer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to superstardom from his Home of Boxing base in San Diego.
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“I needed to work with Eddy due to his expertise and the super job he is accomplished with ‘Canelo,'” Cruz mentioned. “His capability to grasp fighters, each mentally and technically, and to learn every state of affairs, has allowed him to succeed in the highest of the game.”
It is not simply Alvarez whom Reynoso has coached, having helped Oscar Valdez, Ryan Garcia and Andy Ruiz, too. Even Teofimo Lopez, a fighter Cruz has one eye on for a doable struggle within the close to future.
The inspiration for Reynoso’s strategy rests on ideas of self-discipline, duty and perseverance. He locations a selected technical emphasis on the footwork of old-school icons like Willie Pep and “Sugar Ray” Robinson, distance management by coordinated waist motion and leg work, and defensive enchancment by full-body synchronization.
With the best way Alvarez fights, which is to maximise the effectivity of his punching fairly than depend on quantity, we could not assist however ask if Reynoso was going to try to put the all-action “Pitbull” on a leash.
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“I do know I’ve my limitations,” he mentioned. “This can be a approach for me to develop on issues, and adapt to the circumstances. I will all the time be the identical ‘Pitbull’ Cruz that you just noticed thrive towards Gervonta Davis and Roach. And I will nonetheless be aggressive on Sept. 19.”
However there may be one distinction.
“I will collect one of the best of each worlds — his and mine — to convey the victory house,” he mentioned.
“That is the beginning of a brand new period for ‘Pitbull’ Cruz. I am all the time glad to work with good folks, and this camp has been about preparation and good vibes.
“Saturday goes to be an all-out conflict,” he added. “I need to make an announcement and depart little doubt that I should struggle the winner of Smith vs. Puello, or any champion within the division — Teofimo, Ryan Garcia, or Gary Antuanne Russell.”
