Isaac Cruz vs Nestor Bravo: An Inside Look At Saturday’s Junior Welterweight Clash

What is at stake when Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz faces Nestor Bravo? The two junior welterweights will do battle on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.

Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) is a former champion with a distinctive look and an aggressive fighting style. Cruz, a star for Premier Boxing Champions, is looking to land future major fights after a draw many perceived as a loss. Bravo (24-1, 17 KOs) is a strong, crude puncher who may be limited in skills but not in toughness and willingness to exchange. The winner will become the interim WBC junior welterweight titleholder and, if desired, could land a shot against the winner of Dalton Smith vs. Alberto Puello.

So let’s talk through the stories…

Isaac Cruz’s New Team

Cruz is now training with Eddy Reynoso, the trainer of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. This follows a disappointing draw with Lamont Roach Jr. in December and a rough couple of years. After stopping Rolando Romero, he lost his belt to Jose Valenzuela, then had a “Fight of the Year” type bout against Angel Fierro, a lackluster performance against Omar Salcido (after Fierro was pulled from the rematch fight week), and then a draw with Roach.

Cruz, an exciting pressure fighter who became a fringe star in December 2021 after a close fight with Gervonta Davis, is in his fifth year of competing at the elite level. With a physical style and up-and-down performances, could Cruz prolong his prime with a new trainer?

That is the big question of the fight.

Isaac Cruz vs. King Ry?

You have to wonder if Cruz looks like a million bucks a week after Ryan Garcia knocked out a helpless Conor Benn, if he wouldn’t ponder a move up to welterweight for a mega-fight?

Though purely speculative, Cruz might be small, and his punching power, none of which I ever want to feel, might be impacted in its effectiveness as he moves up in weight, which might answer some of the questions people wanted Benn to. With one caveat, Cruz is 5 ft 4 in, so if that fight were to happen, he would be at a physical disadvantage but would test Garcia’s toughness and durability.

So, it could happen, but only if Cruz looks great.

Who is Nestor Bravo?

Bravo is essentially an undercard fighter who has made his way to this point the blue-collar way. In January, he stopped Pedro Campa on the Subriel Matias-Dalton Smith undercard. Before that, Xolisani Ndongeni got off the canvas to win a split decision over him.

So far, the book on Bravo has been easy to read. He is a puncher without much deception. If he lands, he can drop you, but he can also get into a habit of following fighters around the ring.

The most curious thing about this fight: How will his power compare to Cruz’s? There is a world where this becomes a fight if his power affects Cruz. In 25 pro fights, Bravo has won 17 by KO.

Where Is The Promo?

Seriously.

PBC signing with DAZN was a big deal. All the major traditional promoters under one roof. What seems to have happened, though, is a rush to each event.

This event has snuck up on us. The narrative is for the viewer to find. The days of PBC on Fox are gone, when shoulder programming helped guide you into what the fight was about. Despite being on DAZN, this card feels indistinguishable from other cards, and that is troubling. The big thing traditional promoters had was personality and flair built over years of promoting events. With the same broadcasters and production, things tend to blend together.

This is PBC 2.0, in essence. Errol Spence, Danny Garcia, Leo Santa Cruz, Deontay Wilder, Keith Thurman, and Shawn Porter were among the big names who helped build the entity. Only Thurman remains active and was recently stopped by Sebastian Fundora.

Sebastian Fundora, Cruz, and Tim Tszyu are among the new potential PBC headliners, but this is a new era. It signals a potential shift away from the “big events” touted at the start of the decade and toward rebuilding fighters to create compelling match-ups.

Jesus Ramos Jr

Ramos will be on the undercard. He is the forgotten man at middleweight (and a fight between him and Xander Zayas would be an interesting one in the future). He faces Meiirim Nursultanov, which shouldn’t be an issue given his skill set. That said, these are famous last words in a competitive fight. The biggest shame of this decade of boxing is that Ramos has not gotten the chance to be a main event fighter, which he deserves. Now that PBC is getting more dates (in theory), hopefully Ramos can fight more often.

What Does The Eye Test Say? 

Cruz and Bravo could be sneaky fun, and Cruz might take some time to adjust to his new training situation, but talent and experience should be the difference. It would be shocking if this were a sneaky fun endeavor, but Bravo has struggled against lesser fighters, even though they were stylistically different.

What Do The Odds Say?

Cruz is currently a massive favorite at seven-and-a-half to win.

Lucas Ketelle

Lucas Ketelle is a boxing writer and podcaster who has appeared on various platforms throughout his career.

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