Salvador Sanchez’s eighth-round stoppage of Wilfredo Gomez in August 1981, Felix Trinidad stopping Fernando Vargas in the 11th round in December 2000, and the bitter two-fight series between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito, in which they both notched a stoppage win, are among the fights that define the rivalry.

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Nestor Bravo believe they can live up to the billing when they meet for Cruz’s WBC interim 140-pound title on Saturday night at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Their scheduled 12-round main event will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card on DAZN (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).

“I know that we can be up to the task and live up to the long and storied history of the Mexico-Puerto Rico,” Cruz told The Ring through a translator. “Just hearing some of the names – Julio Cesar Chavez, Antonio Margarito, Orlando Salido, Hector Camacho, Miguel Cotto [and] Juan Manuel Lopez – we want to live up to that standard. And I know we can do it.”

Mexico City’s Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) is coming off a majority draw against Lamont Roach Jr. on December 6 in San Antonio. The relentless and durable 28-year-old pressure fighter won the WBC interim super lightweight crown thanks to a one-sided unanimous decision over Omar Salcido Gamez in a 10-round bout in July 2025.

Cruz, 28, was originally scheduled to rematch Angel Fierro five months after their back-and-forth clash Cruz won by unanimous decision. Fierro withdrew the day before their second bout because he was hospitalized due to complications from his weight cut.

In Bravo (24-1, 17 KOs), Cruz believes he has the perfect dance partner for another all-action clash.

“We know he’s an aggressive fighter,” Cruz said. “He’s someone who likes to come forward. At the same time, I’m very confident in the way we’ve been working during training camp because we’ve been zeroing very specifically on this opponent.”

Bravo, of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, is coming off a second-round knockout of Pedro Campa (37-5-1, 25 KOs) on January 10 in New York. Mexico’s Campa pressed forward as Bravo moved around the ring, then walked into a left uppercut followed by a left hook that sent him face-first to the canvas.

The devastating knockout victory got Bravo, 32, back into the win column after suffering his lone loss, a split-decision defeat to Xolisani Ndongeni in March 2025.

“Everybody remembers the fights of Mexico and Puerto Rico,” Bravo said. “When I fought Campa, we got to be a little part of history, and we’re going to keep being part of history because Mexico and Puerto Rico always produce great fighters around the same weight class, so they’re always seeing each other. I’m just blessed to get the chance to fight for a title against somebody as good and as tough as ‘Pitbull.’ ”