Cruz Finishes Bravo With One-Punch KO

Isaac Cruz (29-3-2, 19 KOs) retained his interim WBC super lightweight title with a one-punch, sixth-round knockout of Nestor Bravo (24-2, 17 KOs) at Pechanga Arena in San Diego on Saturday.

Cruz dropped Bravo with a left hook in the opening round and remained in control of an increasingly physical fight. Bravo was deducted a point in the second round and another in the fourth, the latter for throwing Cruz to the canvas.

Cruz hurt Bravo again with a left hook shortly after the second deduction before ending the fight with the same punch in the sixth. Bravo’s knees dipped before he fell to the canvas, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to immediately wave off the fight at 1:30.

Cruz was comfortably ahead in the punch statistics before the finish, landing 68 of 253 punches compared to Bravo’s 40 of 212, including a 64-36 advantage in power punches.

“We worked on that punch in camp,” Cruz said. “That specific shot. We took our time and it worked out perfectly.”

Cruz then turned his attention to WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia, who retained his title with a quick knockout of Conor Benn earlier this month.

“Hey Ryan, I’m here,” Cruz said. “My next fight is with you. Come on Ryan, come on!”