He won, he knocked somebody out and, perhaps most importantly, made people immediately start talking about what comes next.

Cruz stopped Nestor Bravo in the sixth round in San Diego, retaining his interim WBC super lightweight title and reminding everyone why he remains one of the most entertaining fighters in the lower weight divisions.

Bravo tried just about everything to prevent Cruz from turning the fight into the type of battle he wanted — he held, he made things ugly, and he was deducted points.

Eventually, none of it mattered. Cruz kept coming until a left hook put Bravo down and ended the fight. Then Cruz went looking for a much bigger target.

Ryan Garcia.

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

Garcia didn’t exactly run from the idea.

“Let’s do this in December,” Garcia responded on social media. “The offer is on the table.”

If both fighters really mean it, there isn’t much to discuss — make the fight.

Garcia is considerably bigger than anything else currently available to Cruz, and it’s exactly the type of matchup that makes sense for both fighters.

Cruz brings pressure, power and a willingness to exchange. And Garcia brings speed, size and one of the most dangerous left hooks in boxing.

Neither fighter needs much help selling tickets — and neither needs an elaborate storyline manufactured to convince people to care.

Garcia has already been in with Gervonta Davis. Cruz has already been in with Davis. Both have remained major names since those fights, and both have rebuilt themselves after setbacks.

Now they’re calling each other out.

Sometimes boxing doesn’t need to be complicated.

Of course, there is one obvious factor — the weight.

Cruz is operating at junior welterweight. Garcia is now campaigning at welterweight.

If Cruz wants the fight badly enough, he will have to give something up on the scale.

For the right opportunity, that’s probably a conversation worth having. Because the alternative could involve waiting around for the WBC situation at 140 pounds to sort itself out.

Dalton Smith holds the full WBC title and is scheduled to face Alberto Puello on October 24. Cruz, as interim champion, has every reason to demand his opportunity against the winner.

And if Garcia wasn’t available, that’s exactly where I would be looking.

Cruz has already been a world champion and holds an interim belt. At some point, the WBC needs to provide clarity and determine who its actual champion is.

Smith against Cruz would be an excellent fight. Puello against Cruz wouldn’t be bad, either.

But neither is Ryan Garcia.

That’s the reality of boxing and while belts matter, money and opportunity matter, too.

And when one of the biggest names in the sport publicly tells you that an offer is on the table, you listen.

If a fight against Garcia doesn’t happen, Cruz still has plenty of options.

Shakur Stevenson sits at the top of the division with the WBO and Ring titles. That’s probably the most difficult fight available to Cruz stylistically, but it’s also the type of challenge that would answer plenty of questions.

Cruz wants opponents standing in front of him. Stevenson specializes in making sure that doesn’t happen.

Watching Cruz attempt to hunt him down for 12 rounds would be fascinating.

There is also Gary Antuanne Russell, who holds the WBA championship Cruz once owned. That fight would look completely different.

Russell isn’t going to spend the night running from exchanges. Cruz certainly isn’t, either. Put those two together and somebody is going to have to take a backward step eventually.

At the moment, industry rumors are swirling that Stevenson and Russell may collide in a high-stakes unification in the coming months which, in turn, would knock both of them out of the mix as potential opponents for Cruz in the near future.

Then there is William Zepeda.

If Cruz wants a fight almost guaranteed to produce action, he doesn’t have to look much further.

Zepeda has built his reputation on relentless pressure, volume and forcing opponents to fight at a pace they don’t necessarily want to fight at.

Sound familiar?

Cruz isn’t going to spend the night looking for somewhere to hide. Neither is Zepeda. That’s what makes the matchup so appealing.

There wouldn’t be much mystery surrounding the game plans. Cruz would attempt to get inside and land the heavier punches, while Zepeda would look to overwhelm him with activity and combinations.

And unlike some of the other possibilities, nobody would have to convince fans that the styles make sense.

Cruz-Zepeda has the potential to become the type of all-Mexican battle in which strategy eventually gives way to pride and neither fighter wants to be the one who takes the first step backward.

It may not carry the mainstream attention of Garcia or the championship implications of some of the other options. But if you’re looking for a fight that could steal the show, this might be it.

Cruz has momentum. And he has Garcia publicly entertaining a fight with him.

That’s what I would explore first. If Garcia is serious about December, find out how serious, find out the weight, find out the money and find out whether everybody involved can actually get it done.

If the answers don’t make sense, Cruz can go right back to 140 pounds and demand the WBC champion. Or he can look toward Stevenson, Russell or Zepeda.

The important part is that Cruz doesn’t have to settle. After Saturday night, he has options, and for the first time in a while, some of those options are very big fights.