The PBC-Amazon card has clearly bowled over fans and pundits. Mouthwatering matchups run all the way to the main event, offering everything a boxing diehard expects from a marquee show. Even for those obsessed with the finer details, the showdown at Frost Bank Center has plenty to unpack. And here’s one such detail – both the PPV and free segments feature two Mexicans, both named “Isaac.”

Headlining the night, interim light welterweight champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz defends his belt against the marauding Lamont Roach Jr. But much earlier, several bouts down the lineup in the prelims, fans will get to watch a light middleweight contender aiming to become Mexico’s next big star. Sharing Pitbull’s first name, Isaac David Lucero Gonzalez, or simply Isaac Lucero, takes on fellow Mexican, the unheralded but equally dangerous Roberto Valenzuela Jr. Which of them emerges with flying colors in this all-Mexican slugfest is one big question. Let’s search for some answers.

Predicting Isaac Lucero vs. Roberto Valenzuela Jr.: Who has better stats and a record?

It’s a tale of two young fighters trying to make their mark in a competitive and stacked division. Neither Lucero nor Valenzuela Jr. boasts extensive experience. Making his professional debut in 2017, two years before Lucero, the Sonora-born Valenzuela has nonetheless endured tough battles that have taken a toll, resulting in five defeats, including two knockouts.

Isaac Lucero, on the other hand, remains on a 17-fight unbeaten streak.

Still, despite suffering losses, Roberto Valenzuela has maintained a high-volume, heavy-hitting style. Twenty-nine of his 31 wins have come by knockout, giving him an extraordinary 94% stoppage rate. While not yet matching that level of power, Lucero has still achieved an impressive 76% KO rate.

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Isaac Lucero vs. Roberto Valenzuela Jr.: Height, weight, reach comparison, and more

While Valenzuela Jr.’s reach remains unlisted, he does hold a slight height advantage. Standing 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm), he is roughly an inch taller than the 27-year-old Lucero, who measures 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm).

In his most recent fight, when he defeated another Valenzuela, Tijuana’s Omar Valenzuela, Lucero weighed 154.8 pounds. Earlier in February, when 26-year-old Valenzuela Jr. fought Argentina’s Juan Jose Velasco (incidentally nicknamed “El Pitbull”), he officially weighed in at 154 pounds.

The results of their latest weigh-ins are

• Lucero – …pounds
• Valenzuela – …pounds

Fight prediction

Time and momentum seem to favor the light middleweight contender. Roberto Valenzuela Jr., though a year younger, enters on a run of five straight inside-the-distance wins. Oddsmakers appear to place their confidence in Lucero, whose most recent fight to go the distance occurred back in 2022.

The faith in Lucero is intriguing, given that Valenzuela Jr. has faced more recognizable names in the division. Three of his losses came at the hands of Alexis Rocha, Bakhram Murtazaliev, and Xander Zayas.

Styles and strategy

Under the tutelage of Bob Santos, Lucero aims to maximize the opportunity before him. While he acknowledges Roberto Valenzuela as a tough opponent, the scion of a prominent Mexican boxing family seems eager to deliver a statement in San Antonio.

“Valenzuela Jr. is a tough veteran who’s faced some of the division’s best, and he’s coming into the ring on a winning streak, but this is my time, and I’m gonna show why on December 6,” he reportedly stated.

Lucero’s come-forward style allows him to pepper in jabs before setting up a rear overhand and following with sharp body shots. He keeps pressing, breaking opponents down with steady pressure. But in doing so, he often lets his hands drop, leaving him vulnerable to sharp counters.

Valenzuela, on the other hand, works behind a high guard and stalks patiently. When the opening presents itself, he fires pacing jabs followed quickly by body combinations. There’s a good chance the highly mobile Lucero could exploit Valenzuela’s linear movement, much like Xander Zayas did in 2023.

Do you think a win over Valenzuela could position Lucero for the big fights that potentially lie ahead?