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Pitbull Cruz Delivers Thrilling Sixth-
Round Knockout Over Nestor Bravo
Photos: Cris Esqueda - PBC
Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz is all bite, no bark.
Cruz electrified a raucous crowd at Pechanga Arena in
San Diego, flattening Nestor Bravo with a powerful lead
left hook in the sixth round to defend his WBC Interim
Super Lightweight Title in the Premier Boxing Champions
main event on DAZN.
As his calling card, Cruz (29-3-2, 19 KOs) attacked as
soon as the opening bell rang. Both fighters jockeyed
for position early on, leading to them wrestling to the
canvas several times. Referee Thomas Taylor had none of
it, issuing warnings to both fighters.
“This was a boxing match,” said Cruz. “We fought with
intelligence. The mental aspect of it really helped me
navigate the fight when Bravo was trying to get me out
of my comfort zone. I stayed calm, collected and that
made the difference in the end.”
“We were planning to make it a physical fight in the
later rounds,” said Bravo. “He caught me in the back of
the head in the first round and that hurt me. I feel
like I started getting back in rounds three or four. But
no excuse, he was the better man. It was his night, God
bless him.”
Two low blows from Bravo (24-2, 17 KOs) earned more
stern comments from Taylor. Cruz did his talking with
his fists. After Bravo was deducted a point for throwing
Cruz down in the fourth, the latter responded by
staggering Bravo with a left hook.
“I felt the point deduction was because we were in his
house,” said Bravo. “He was the champion. Like if we
fought in Puerto Rico, they would most likely favor me.
He was being physical and dirty.”
“I was smartly aggressive and I never let Bravo rattle
me,” said Cruz. “I knew the knockout was going to come
by itself, eventually.”
Bravo found his footing in the fifth, but his pockets of
success didn’t last long. A picture-perfect hook in the
sixth caused his knees to dip before he sank to the
canvas. Taylor immediately waved the fight off at 1:30
as the dazed Bravo was in no condition to continue.
“We worked on that punch in camp,” said Cruz. “That
specific shot. We took our time and it worked out
perfectly.”
“I don’t feel the stoppage was appropriate,” said Bravo.
“He caught me, yes, but like I said, the back of the
head of the punch is what hurt me. I just fought one of
the biggest names in the sport and I felt like a couple
rounds were going my way. This is boxing. You live and
you learn.”
Final punch stat numbers underscored Cruz’s dominance.
He landed 68 of his 253 punches (26.9%) to Bravo’s 40 of
212 (18.9%).
Afterwards, “Pitbull” set his sights on another big dog
in boxing. “Hey Ryan [Garcia], I’m here. My next fight
is with you. Come on Ryan, come on!
“December, May or September. If Ryan wants to fight me,
it doesn’t matter when. I’ll be ready.”
In the co-main event, rising super middleweight Daniel
“Iceman” Blancas remained unbeaten, improving to 16-0 (8
KOs) with a seventh-round TKO win over veteran Sergio
Jimenez (17-2-1, 15 KOs).
Sergio is a veteran,” said Blancas. “We knew that coming
into the fight. He’s never been stopped and has 15
knockouts out of 17 fights so he can punch. I feel like
me being a prospect, I was able to bank those rounds in
with a good veteran like him. That’s only going to help
me grow. I gained a lot in there. He was able to take so
many punches, especially those body shots. So, I had to
make adjustments, listen to my corner and I just kept
breaking him down as the fight went on.”
While one could argue that the stoppage was premature,
there was no doubting Blancas’ dominance. Trained by
respected coach Jose Benavidez Sr., Blancas dictated the
action from the opening bell, focusing his attack on
Jimenez’s body. Blancas’ pressure kept Jimenez from
launching any sustained attack. Every now and then, the
underdog would land his right hand upstairs, eliciting
cheers from the boisterous Pechanga Arena crowd who
appreciated his bravery.
“I may not have won the fight, but I did feel like I won
the fans over,” said Jimenez. “And that’s what it’s all
about. Taking something positive from a fight, win or
lose.
Jimenez was eating a lot of shots by the midway point of
the fight. The ringside doctor examined him after the
end of the sixth but allowed the action to continue a
bit longer. Blancas never took his foot off the gas.
When Blancas’ sustained assault didn’t get a response
from his opponent, referee Ray Corona waved it off at
1:38 of the seventh round.
It’s a sour defeat,” said Jimenez. “I should have let my
hands go earlier, but I felt like I did the best I could
considering that I had two week’s notice for this
fight.”
“He wasn’t going down and I didn’t want to punch myself
out,” said Blancas. “We saw that with Moses Itauma.
Watching that fight, I learned off his mistakes. Much
respect to him, he’s a great fighter but I don’t want
anything like that to ever happen to me.
“With this win, I’m just gaining more experience and
going from prospect to contender. I need to keep
delivering these kinds of wins, keep learning, keep
having great training camps. I’m going fight by fight so
whatever my team thinks is next, I’ll be ready.”
2024 Mexican Olympic silver medalist Marco Verde (7-0, 4
KOs) needed only five rounds to put away fellow unbeaten
Guillermo Hernandez (7-1, 4 KOs) in their middleweight
bout. Verde displayed the full arsenal, working behind
an educated right jab and unloading punishing
combinations to the head and body with speed and
precision.
“I felt better as the fight progressed,” said Verde.
“The fight was stopped in the fifth, but I wanted to
keep going the full eight rounds. I plan to return in
December and I’ll be ready. No names. I prepare for
everyone. I train every day and I’m ready.”
Hernandez’s face began to swell from the methodical
attack in the second round. He enjoyed a moment in the
third when a right hand caught an off-balance Verde and
sent him to the canvas for the first knockdown of his
pro career. Verde quickly rose and resumed pummeling his
foe. By the middle of the fifth, the referee had seen
enough, stopping the action at 1:46 of the round.
“I felt good. I was just getting warmed up, to be
honest. I couldn’t let my hands go tonight. I needed a
few more rounds. I knocked him down. The second time, he
wasn’t going to get up. All I know is that when I saw
him at the end of the fight, he was missing his front
tooth.
“I understand the doctors are trying to keep me safe,”
said Hernandez. “But they don’t know me. I’m a warrior.
I was okay, I could have finished the fight. If I had
those other rounds, I could have got my knockout. You
never know, anything is possible. But it is what it is.
God’s plan is perfect. I wasn’t supposed to be here
tonight. I’m just a guy with six amateur fights.”
“Thank you to all the people in Mexico and everyone who
supported me,” said Verde. “I felt weird because it was
the first time someone knocked me down. But it’s part of
the process. It was important for me to keep my mind
focused during the fight.
Filipino Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial delivered
the most impressive win of his young career, improving
to 8-0 (5 KOs) with a one-punch knockout of veteran
contender Omar Ulises Huerta (15-2-1, 13 KOs) at 1:08 of
the third round in the opening bout live on DAZN.
“Thank God for giving me strength,” Marcial said. “Of
course, I want to thank my team. To my family, to all
the Filipino people, thank you for your prayers. This
victory not only belongs to me but to my country. I’m
going to keep working hard and keep going until I get a
world title.”
Marcial controlled the action in the battle of southpaws
before ending matters emphatically in the third. After
Huerta connected with a left cross, Marcial countered
with a perfectly timed right hook that sent Huerta
crashing to the canvas and bringing an end to the fight.
“I was waiting for that left hand to counter it,”
Marcial said. “In the second round, he landed a couple
of them. So, I watched for that punch, and you saw the
outcome. My corner told me that you’ve already warmed
up, just let your hands go. I saw the punch and we got
the knockout.”
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