Orlando Cruz vs. Gabino Cota II: This Friday on Telemundo, Orlando Cruz (24-4-1, 12 KO) will once again fight in his home away from home, Florida. Cruz will take on Gabino Cota (19-6-1, 17 KO) in a rematch of their 2015 bout which Cruz won by the way of unanimous decision. This fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior lightweight division, a division that seems to get deeper by the day. Since his last loss Cruz has looked sharp, going 4-0 with two knockouts and one of those wins came against Cota. As for Cota he has been a mixed bag as of late, going 2-3 in his last five fights. During that five fight stretch Cota scored two knockouts but was also knocked out once himself. Being knocked out is unfortunately something Cruz is used to. In his four career losses Cruz has been knocked out in three of them, however, he has also fought at a higher level than Cota has. While Cruz has the experience advantage Cota has the advantage in size and age. Cota is three inches taller than Cruz and he is also 12 years younger than the 35-year-old Cruz. While Cruz started fighting professionally in 2000, Cota didn't start his professional career until 2011. Cruz, a southpaw, likes to work behind a quick jab and that jab, along with his movement are the two things he relies on most in the ring. With that jab Cruz also has an accurate straight left hand and a right hook that is serviceable but not great. The biggest knock against Cruz is his chin. He has been knocked out multiple downs and has been down plenty in his career also. Those knockouts usually come against bigger fighters with power and Cota is not only bigger but he also has plenty of pop on his punches. Cota is an orthodox fighter with a long jab, but he often finds it difficult to find the right distance to make his jab a better weapon. With the jab Cota will also throw a solid straight right hand and he does have power in his left hook but his hands aren't all that fast. The major problem for Cota the first time he met Cruz was Cruz's movement. Cota doesn't do a good job of cutting off the ring and that allows opponents to escape easily, something Cruz did often in their first fight. This time around the outcome should be very similar to their first meeting. Cota will look to land power punches while Cruz will look to stick and move and that movement, along with his scoring punches, will allow him to once again get the unanimous decision win.
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