Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz knocked out Nestor Bravo in the sixth round Saturday night, retaining his WBC interim light welterweight title at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. A clean left hook dropped Bravo onto his backside, where he remained as the referee completed the count.
The ending followed five rounds of punishment, holding and repeated fouls. Cruz (29-3-2, 19 KOs) attacked immediately and dropped Bravo with a left hook in the opening round. Bravo survived the follow-up barrage largely by grabbing Cruz whenever the champion moved within punching range.
Referee Thomas Taylor repeatedly warned Bravo about holding before deducting a point in the second. Cruz then scored his second knockdown of the fight as Bravo’s legs betrayed him again. The Puerto Rican challenger spent most of the round clinching and wrestling instead of mounting an attack.
The disorder continued in the third. Bravo landed multiple low blows that forced breaks in the action, but Taylor did not deduct another point. Cruz still controlled the actual boxing, landing the cleaner and heavier punches whenever Bravo released him.
Taylor removed another point from Bravo in the fourth after he threw Cruz to the canvas. The referee also warned Bravo that a disqualification would cost him his purse. By then, Bravo was doing little beyond fouling, holding and trying to survive.
Cruz swept the fifth without scoring another knockdown. Bravo (24-2, 17 KOs) had no answer for the Mexican’s pressure and offered almost nothing that discouraged him from advancing.
The finish arrived in round six. Cruz stepped into range and buried a left hook on Bravo’s chin. Bravo fell backward into a seated position and showed no serious interest in beating the count.
This was never a competitive title fight. Cruz scored two early knockdowns, forced two point deductions and then produced the knockout that Bravo had spent most of the night trying to avoid. The victory keeps Cruz in position for another major fight at 140 pounds, including the lucrative Ryan Garcia bout he has been chasing.
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