Isaac Cruz Knocks Out Nestor Bravo in Sixth Round

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz retained his interim WBC super-lightweight title by knocking out Nestor Bravo in the sixth round at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, although the boxing occasionally bore a passing resemblance to wrestling conducted without the benefit of rules.

Cruz, the shorter and more compact man, began as expected, advancing behind a tight guard and attempting to bring his hooks into play. Bravo possessed advantages in height and reach, but immediately surrendered much of their value by holding whenever Cruz entered punching distance. Referee Thomas Taylor warned him repeatedly during a disorderly opening round in which a tangle near the ropes was ruled a knockdown against Bravo. The official decision stood, though Cruz appeared to assist his opponent towards the floor after landing a hook.

The disorder increased in the second. Bravo attempted to pick Cruz off as he came forward, but too often replaced straight punching and movement with grabbing, leaning and throwing. He was penalised a point after going down in an unconvincing fashion during another untidy exchange. Cruz also received a warning for holding and hitting, while Bravo later lifted the champion from the floor and deposited him back on it. Taylor made it clear that another such offence could produce a disqualification.

Before the third round began, the referee summoned both men to the centre of the ring and delivered a blunt instruction to abandon the fouling. The advice enjoyed only a brief life. Bravo switched to southpaw in an attempt to change the angle of his attack, while Cruz continued to advance and landed a solid left to the body. A low left from Bravo then sent Cruz down. Taylor ruled the blow accidental and allowed the Mexican time to recover. When the contest resumed, Cruz had the better of the legitimate exchanges with hooks from both hands.

Bravo lost another point at the beginning of the fourth after throwing Cruz to the canvas. He later drove him into the ropes in a manner more suited to a rugby tackle and was fortunate that Taylor permitted the contest to continue. Between these incidents, Cruz landed the cleaner punches, including a right hook and a left hook which caused Bravo to hold immediately. The challenger’s spoiling had disrupted the rhythm of the fight, but it had done little to improve his position.

Cruz produced his most controlled work in the fifth. A right hand to the body landed cleanly, although the champion was subsequently warned for striking behind the head. He continued to press, mixing the jab with overhand rights and hooks while Bravo retreated or attempted to smother him. The Puerto Rican had shown occasional success with straight punches, but he had never established the disciplined long-range contest required to contain a fighter of Cruz’s build and temperament.

The finish came at 1 minute 30 seconds of the sixth round. Cruz first timed Bravo with a straight right. Bravo, again boxing southpaw, attempted to answer with his straight left but left himself exposed as he committed the punch. Cruz drove a short left hook into the head, dropping the challenger heavily on his back. Bravo showed some intention of rising, but Taylor completed a noticeably brisk count and declared the contest over.

The speed of the count invited criticism, though it did not materially alter the identity of the better fighter. Bravo had already been knocked down, penalised twice and repeatedly warned. His plan had deteriorated into holding and physical obstruction, while Cruz remained the more effective puncher throughout. The champion was not blameless in a foul-filled affair, but he was the man consistently attempting to win through clean punches.

Cruz improved his record to 29 wins, three defeats and two draws, with 19 victories inside the distance. Bravo fell to 24-2. Afterwards, Cruz called for a meeting with Ryan Garcia and also expressed interest in facing the winner of the forthcoming contest between Dalton Smith and Alberto Puello for the full WBC championship. Either assignment would demand greater precision than was necessary here, but Cruz again demonstrated the pressure, durability and compact power which make him an uncomfortable opponent for any super-lightweight.

This was an ugly fight, and most of the blame belongs to Nestor Bravo for his spoiling tactics. Bravo had the longer frame and should have used it properly, with a firm jab, straight punches and disciplined footwork. Instead, he spent too much time holding, leaning, throwing Cruz down and trying to smother the action. There is a difference between making a fight awkward and simply spoiling, and Bravo crossed that line repeatedly.

Cruz was hardly blameless. He became frustrated, pushed with the forearm and allowed the wrestling to drag him away from his boxing. His feet were often too square as he charged forward, which made the collisions inevitable. Against a better mover, that lack of patience will cost him. But he remained the only man consistently trying to produce clean, damaging work. His body punches were important because they discouraged Bravo from staying at long range, while the overhand right kept finding the space behind Bravo’s jab.

Bravo switched southpaw and tried to catch Cruz with the straight left, but he never established a dependable rhythm. Every time Cruz entered, Bravo’s first thought was to grab rather than counter and turn. That allowed Cruz to keep taking ground without paying a proper price for it.

The finishing punch was excellent. Cruz timed Bravo’s movement and drove a short left hook through the opening as Bravo prepared to punch. The count appeared hurried, but I have no complaint about the outcome. Bravo was badly hurt, had been comprehensively beaten and had contributed more fouling than effective boxing. Cruz won because his punch selection carried greater purpose and his pressure never weakened. It was not a polished performance, but it was decisive, and the right man won.