Written by: Sean Crose
The WBA junior welterweight title was on the line on Saturday night in Los Angeles as champion Isaac Cruz slipped between the ropes to face Jose Valenzuela in the 12th round. The fight was the main event of the Terence Crawford-Israel Madrimov pay-per-view card. Cruz, as is his habit, stepped into his person when the opening bell sounded. Southpaw Valenzuela, on the other hand, released his southpaw. It was a quick three-minute opening act.
The second one was fast, too. It will be interesting to see how the fight will play out after it starts going down. That being said, the third, like the previous two rounds, was a disappointment. Things stayed close in the fourth. The fifth was very difficult to score. Cruz landed some hard shots, but Valenzuela's jab was very effective and kept the player from getting hurt. The sixth had some exciting moments as the contestants took turns tagging each other.
Each man had his times in the seventh. A low blow from Cruz stopped the action in the eighth. It was another quick round, however, where Valenzuela seemed to have the upper hand. Indeed, Valenzuela seemed to organize things in the tenth place. Cruz tried to pick up his shots a bit in the eleventh round, a tactic that worked, as he rained down on Valenzuela with devastating shots at the end of the chapter. Cruz gained enough momentum to take the twelfth and final round.
The judges ultimately ruled against Valenzuela in a split decision.
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