‘Pitbull’ Cruz’s campaign as Mexico’s ‘most-loved’ fighter heads to L.A.

LOS ANGELES – The way Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz sees it, his fights are an extension of a lifetime contract with his fans.

At just 26 years old, Mexico’s new World Boxing Association 140-pound champion displayed the strength of the powerful bond with his fan base on March 30, when the allegiant crowd cheered more heartily for Cruz than even the main-event participants Sebastian Fundora and Tim Tszyu in their unforgettable bloodbath for the unified junior-middleweight titles.

Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) was hailed above all, and he leaned deeply into that roaring appreciation to execute a complete destruction of outgoing, trash-talking champion Rolly Romero by eighth-round TKO.

The same type of takeover is likely Saturday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where Cruz makes the first defense of his belt against a game Mexican-born contender, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs), in the co-main event to another junior-middleweight title fight, pitting WBA champion Israil Madrimov against unbeaten three-division champion Terence Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs).

“Believe me, we are the main event … everyone in Los Angeles is coming to this fight for ‘Pitbull Mania,’ just like Las Vegas came out for him March 30,” Cruz’s advisor, Sean Gibbons, said. “It’s going to be a Mexican crowd, and you’ll see exactly who the main event is.”

Cruz expects the same, and he explains the unwritten agreement this way:

“What I do inside the ring is for the fans – for them to be happy,” Cruz said. “In the end, that’s the connection between myself and the fans because we know what we give each other: When they come to see me fight, I want to give them what they came to see.”

That’s why Cruz sees no reason he won’t capture the evening again from the American and Uzbekistan main-event combatants who have yet to prove they can fill a non-hometown stadium without secondary support.

“Why not? Let’s go and steal the show,” Cruz said. “That’s why I’ve been working so hard (training) in Mexico City.”

As his nickname suggests, Cruz is a vicious punching fighter when unleashed from his corner. His ferocity and volume of punches with ill intentions overwhelmed Romero, and Cruz is confident he’ll experience similar success against Valenzuela, 25, despite the contender’s Mexican origin and the fact he’s been in expert trainer Robert Garcia’s gym for four months.

Valenzuela, in a recent BoxingScene story, made quite a case that his career experiences and the timing of this bout make it feel as if he’s destined to pull the upset.

To that, Cruz delivered a cold, fierce expression.

Beyond his highlight-reel knockouts (see Diego Magdaleno), Cruz volunteered for a lightweight title shot at Gervonta “Tank” Davis and went the distance with him in a narrow defeat by decision in December 2021. Since then, Cruz has reeled off four consecutive victories, his popularity and likeability surging with each triumph 

“Look, what I have accomplished so far has been hard,” Cruz said. “Whatever Valenzuela has said he can say, but I am not giving up what I have worked for.”

Cruz is actually reaching for a greater stature.

When he first claimed the 140-pound belt, his fellow champions were Teofimo Lopez (WBO), unbeaten Devin Haney (WBC) and dominant Puerto Rican power puncher Subriel Matias (IBF).

Since then, Haney suffered three knockdowns to a performance-enhanced Ryan Garcia on April 20, a no-contest that ultimately led Haney to vacate his WBC belt and left Garcia suspended for one year. Matias was then upset by Australia’s Liam Paro in a bout staged in Puerto Rico.

And Lopez is reportedly interested in fighting Brian Norman Jr. for a WBO welterweight belt. 

Victory Saturday would effectively transform Cruz into the king of the 140-pound division.

“I may not be the king, but if I win this fight, my presence will be known,” Cruz said. “People will be like, ‘This is the troublemaker in the 140-pound division.’”

Valenzuela trainer Robert Garcia went as far to say that Cruz – one of seven world champions from his country – already stands as the most loved active fighter in all of Mexico.

The criticism being leveled at four-division champion Canelo Alvarez for fighting the underwhelming Edgar Berlanga Sept. 14 in Las Vegas hasn’t helped his cause.

Cruz fighting often and showcasing the entertaining style that he’s flashed against Davis and Romero and others is creating a successor to the Mexican greats of the past, and declaring victory on this stacked, likely heavily watched Saturday card will only boost his cause.

“Look, I feel really privileged, happy and excited by the fact that people feel this way about me,” Cruz said. “When that (adoration) is said, that means I need to give them a show every time out.

“That’s what the people want. I’m going to give them what they want.”

Of course, they want a knockout, and Valenzuela was floored in the third round by Edwin De Los Santos two years ago. Valenzuela admits he believes Team Cruz thinks he’s “chinny.”

“I don’t prepare for a specific round. I prepare for all 12 rounds and to fight at the best possible level,” Cruz said.

He says, “God willing,” he’d like to fight again this year, expressing an openness to meet WBA lightweight champion Davis in a fall rematch if “Tank” fails to negotiate a title defense in the next few weeks.

Another lightweight champion capable of moving up in weight is unbeaten WBC champion Shakur Stevenson, but Cruz frowns upon Stevenson’s evasive style of fighting.

“Nobody really wants to fight against Shakur because he puts you to sleep,” Cruz said. “Watching him fight is like going for a nap.”

That’s not the case with Mexico’s top-ranked lightweight contender William Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs), who on July 6 scored a third-round knockout of left-handed Giovanni Cabrera, who went the distance with Cruz in July 2023, with Cruz claiming a split-decision triumph.

“Yes, totally … I respect (Zepeda) and if he wants to take the challenge and risk of going up to 140 like I did, then let’s make it happen,” Cruz said.

Until then, Cruz heads to Saturday with a plan to keep his profile a boundless enterprise.

“I’m excited for (Saturday). You know, the belt is coming back with me to Mexico,” Cruz said.