By: Sean Crose
The WBA welterweight title was at stake Saturday night in Los Angeles when champion Isaac Cruz stepped between the ropes to take on Jose Valenzuela in a scheduled 12-round bout. The fight was the co-main event of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov pay-per-view card. Cruz, as is his wont, rushed to his body as the opening bell sounded. The left-handed Valenzuela, in turn, threw a left-handed punch. It was a quick three-minute opening.
The second round was also fast. It will be interesting to see how the fight plays out after it slows down. With that said, the third round, like the first two, was a hard-fought affair. Things remained very even in the fourth. The fifth round was hard to score. Cruz landed the bigger shots, but Valenzuela’s straight punches were effective and kept him from getting hurt. The sixth round had some exciting moments as the fighters took turns attacking.
Each had their moments in the seventh. A low blow from Cruz stopped the action in the eighth. It was another quick round, however, one in which Valenzuela appeared to be ahead. Indeed, Valenzuela appeared to be ahead in the tenth. Cruz tried to pick his shots a little more in the eleventh, a strategy that worked, as he picked Valenzuela apart with damaging shots late in the round. Cruz landed enough hard shots to win the twelfth and final round.
Ultimately, the judges ruled in favor of Valenzuela by split decision.
