PBC on Fox: Léodegario Santa Cruz vs. Rafael Alvarado Rivera & César Juárez vs. Ryōsuke Iwasa RBR

Round 7

Santa Cruz is painting Rivera with the jab, finding him at every distance. Rivera is punching less, his offensive bursts growing wider apart. Even defensively, Rivera doing less, more sluggish now, barely picking off shots when he tries, and not fully moving all the way to slip, various parts of his anatomy mutinying on him. Santa Cruz landing hooks & uppercuts while taking long spidery lateral steps around him at mid-range. Blocking and desperate hacking counters from Rivera, looking to have come unglued a bit.

10-9 Santa Cruz, first crystal-clear one in a while, if not all night.

69-64 Santa Cruz

 

Round 8

Santa Cruz is pulling his face away from Rivera's jabs, letting him tucker himself out with his overreaches, and then stabbing out with his own while still hunched over to his side. High 1-2s from Santa Cruz and jabs on the belt line as he plants his left toe inside Rivera's, keeping faced up to him as they circle on the ring center logo, Santa Cruz exploiting his longer reach and the fact that his gas tank appears considerably fuller.

10-9 Santa Cruz

79-73 Santa Cruz

 

Round 9

Santa Cruz is killing Rivera with the jab when he starts pushing forward and mowing him down with it. The jab can't miss when Santa Cruz is forcing Rivera into retreat. Desperate long right hand lead & left hook combos from Rivera on the backfoot, missing or clanging off the just-extending arms of Santa Cruz, who is accidentally parrying shots just by keeping the jabs busily poured outward. Santa Cruz taking some breaks here and there, conserving wind, but spending enough stretches of the round coming forward stamping Rivera's face to easily bag it.

10-9 Santa Cruz

89-82 Santa Cruz