Isaac Cruz is preparing for war against Jose Valenzuela – a war he expects to win.
Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs), 26, the newly crowned WBA super lightweight titleholder, will make his first defense against rising southpaw Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela on Aug. 3, in chief support of the Terence Crawford-Israil Madrimov 154-pound title bout at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Cruz-Valenzuela is the type of style matchup that could steal the show – two heavy hitters unafraid of engagement.
“I’m going into it like it’s a war,” Cruz told BoxingScene. “He’s a good fighter. I respect every single opponent that has fought me. My goal is to show him that I’m the world champion. I’m still going to be the world champion when this fight is done and my belt is coming home with me.”
This will be Cruz’s second fight in just four months, after he stopped Rolando “Rolly” Romero on March 30 to capture the title he now holds.
“The more activity, the better for us,” said Cruz. “We won’t neglect ourselves and let time by. You don’t let yourself go in a way, you don’t relax that much, and being active helps me stay sharp and helps me go after the next goal.
“We have enough preparation to fight on Aug. 3 in great condition. The change [from 135 to 140] has really been that drastic because we have worked with great specialists that have tailored my preparation and my nutrition so that my body can adapt in the best way possible.”
Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs) has also left no stone unturned for this fight, joining forces with the respected Robert Garcia after his KO of the Year candidate win over Chris Colbert last December. The new trainer believes his charge has a stylistic advantage over the diminutive, Mike Tyson-like Cruz.
“A southpaw is always going to be difficult for a right-hander,” Garcia told BoxingScene. “Most of the fights, we try to avoid southpaws because they always give guys trouble. [Cruz] didn’t look too great against a southpaw [Giovanni Cabrera], so that’s a thing we’re looking at. He didn’t have great success against the tall, lanky southpaw. ‘Rayo’ is much, much better than Giovanni Cabrera. We’re also working on the punches down the middle. If he lands good, he’ll hurt ‘Pitbull.’”
Cruz disagrees with that logic.
“He can say whatever he wants, but the fact is that over half of my fights have been against southpaws, and when I fought Cabrera, I was not in the ideal condition that I could’ve been. So he can think what he wants, but in the end I will show him that I can fight him and any other southpaws, because he’s not going to be the first one.”
Cruz says his opponent isn’t the only one who has done his research.
“I can say with confidence that we’ve been able to discover his weaknesses, strengths and everything we need to know about him prior to this fight.
“I’m not going to underestimate his strength and power, but at the same time, I fully believe in my work ethic and everything we’ve done in preparation for this fight.
“I’m going to be ready to go from the opening bell up to the final second of the fight. And my goal is to give fans a great show and to come out on top in the end.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” back in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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