It took footwork, guile and a sturdy chin but Jose Valenzuela was able to achieve his boxing dreams of becoming a world champion on Saturday despite entering as a solid underdog against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz.
Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) moved up to 140 pounds for the first time and relied on his advantages of six inches in height and seven inches in reach to outbox Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) over 12 rounds to capture the WBA junior welterweight championship via split decision.
Two judges scored the bout 116-112 for Valenzuela while the third had it 115-113 for Cruz, in the co-main event of the Terence Crawford-Israel Madrimov pay-per-view card from BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I’m speechless, I’m speechless. Dream come true,” Valenzuela said. “This is not for me, this is for my mom and dad, and for all of their sacrifices. This is to pay them back.”
Valenzuela, a 25-year-old southpaw from Los Mochis, Mexico, largely kept Cruz at distance by using his length and combination punching. He outlanded Cruz by a margin of 171 to 118, according to CompuBox. “El Rayo” also connected on 40% of his power shots and outlanded Cruz in 11 of 12 rounds despite Cruz attempting more punches overall (521 to 516) and winning the battle of the jabs (63 to 37) in a close and competitive fight.
“I don’t mean to say anything [negative] but just take a listen to this crowd,” Cruz said about the decision. “Just listen to this. I just like to do my job. I never make a decision at what the [decision] is. I just let the fans decide after I do my job.”
Cruz, a 26-year-old native of Mexico City, was the decided crowd favorite and entered the fight with plenty of momentum fresh off of his stoppage of Rolando Romero in March to win a world title. But he was forced to chase Valenzuela throughout and had trouble consistently getting inside.
When the fight was over, Valenzuela said he had zero doubt his hand would get raised.
“I was 100% sure, I was 100% sure,” Valenzuela said. “[The game plan was] just be smart. I didn’t’ get desperate. I didn’t’ fall under the pressure. I stayed calm.
“[Cruz’s power] was cool but nothing crazy and nothing I ever felt. It was good and solid. I felt great. I felt like I was in control the whole time using my jab and using my footwork. I felt like I was in control the whole time.”
Cruz, whose previous lone defeat came via close decision to Gervonta Davis in 2021, called for an immediate second chance against Valenzuela after the fight.
“I would like to lay it on the line now. I would like to officially request a rematch,” Cruz said. “I would like to definitely throw that down and ask for a rematch, for sure.”
