Cruz Seeking Knockout Win: Faces Valenzuela in WBA Title Fight
Bet on 'Method of Victory' on the Cruz vs Valenzuela Odds
Isaac Cruz vs Jose Valenzuela headlines boxing action this weekend, where they fight for the WBA super lightweight belt. Current champion Cruz is the -400 favorite with Cruz vs Valenzuela odds, and we think he’s eyeing a knockout victory to send a statement.
Rated sixth in the world, Cruz needs to score a big victory to get a headline fight, but standing in his way is 13-2 Valenzuela, who is the +300 underdog with boxing fight odds.
Is Cruz KO Bound?
There is every chance of Cruz scoring a knockout win at BMO Stadium on Saturday, and he’s the current -400 favorite to improve his record. The 26-2-1 fighter has plenty of experience under his belt, despite being only 26, and that means he has an exciting future.
The Mexican comes off an eighth-round TKO win over Rolando Romero. He was dominating the fight before the stoppage, so it was a commanding performance from the favorite.
His boxing schedule has been busy, and having already had a fight this year plays into his hands. He didn’t take too much damage in the fight and he’s well-rested for his upcoming bout.
The Cruz vs Valenzuela odds have Cruz at -150 to win by knockout (or technical decision), and we imagine he’ll be head-hunting.
“It will be an entertaining fight because Rayo’s style is moving forward to fight. This style is very good for me, and I think that this will be entertaining,” Cruz said. “I look forward to giving the fans a great victory and a great performance on August 3rd”.
With 18 knockouts from 27 fights, he has enough power to cause damage in the lightweight division, and Valenzuela could find that out.
Valenzuela Bounces Back From Defeats
Valenzuela’s career was going along nicely until he suffered consecutive defeats against Edwin De Los Santos and Chris Colbert. These losses threatened to derail his career and saw his ranking drop. However, we liked the way he bounced back. He changed coaches and scored a KO victory in the Colbert rematch.
His boxing results showed his knockout prowess with a KO win over Francisco Vargas in the first round, and we’re not sure what happened in his consecutive losses.
“El Rayo’s” knockout loss to De Los Santos might have had a flow-on effect against Colbert, but the real Valenzuela came out in force last December.
The +300 underdog knows it’ll be a tough fight, and although he’s outside the top 35 in the division, he’s a live underdog.
“Pitbull’s a hell of a fighter, he’s tough, but he’s not unbeatable”, Valenzuela said. “August 3rd I’m looking to upset the world. We have everything it takes to beat a guy like Pitbull Cruz”, he continued. “We’re sharpening up all my tools, my defense, my fundamentals, everything’s going to be there August 3rd.”
The American hits hard. Hence, Cruz isn’t a -1000 favorite like many champions would be.
The Cruz vs Valenzuela odds has the total rounds line at 9.5, and the under has been backed into -120. That implies most bettors think Valenzuela won’t see out the full 12 rounds, and he will do well to survive an onslaught from Cruz.
Statement Win for Cruz
We are predicting Cruz to score a comfortable victory. He’s the most devastating fighter in this matchup.
The Cruz vs Valenzuela odds are right to have Cruz as the favorite. We can take much shorter odds for the champion.
Getting -150 for Cruz to win by knockout is where the best value is in the sportsbook. His record alone is enough to back up this pick, and after scoring a TKO win against Romero, this isn’t a step up in class.
Cruz owns 18 knockout wins. With Valenzuela currently sitting 38th in the world rankings, it should be a much easier fight. He’s looking for bigger fights in 2025.
A statement win over Valenzuela is in Pitbull’s cards in Los Angeles on Saturday.
