By Vince Dwriter: A little over a year ago, the December 2021 Showtime pay-per-view fight card featuring Gervonta “Tank” Davis was placed in jeopardy when his opponent Rolando “Rolly” Romero was hit with major legal allegations. Romero was the recipient of intense public scrutiny, and as a result, he was pulled out of the fight, but fortunately, a rising contender stepped in to fill the void.
Fresh off of his unanimous decision victory over Francisco Vargas, Mexican boxer Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz seized the opportunity as he agreed to a deal to fight Davis. With only four weeks to prepare, Cruz and his team had to assemble a game plan to beat one of the best lightweights in boxing. On the other side of the spectrum, Gervonta Davis had just four weeks to prepare for a man who brings a style of aggression that he had never encountered in the ring as a pro.
When Tank Davis and Pitbull Cruz faced each other inside of the squared circle, Cruz got off to a great start. Utilizing a tight high guard, Cruz was constantly moving forward and applying intelligent pressure. He effectively attacked Davis’s body, and he also landed some solid shots to the head.
Davis made the necessary adjustments to the pressure Cruz was applying. He productively fought off his back foot and used movement to set up his counter shots. While battling Cruz inside of the ring, Davis would face an adverse situation. At the midway point of the bout, Gervonta Davis injured his left hand, but he was able to continue fighting by using his legs and basically boxing with one hand.
At the completion of 12-rounds, the two fighters’ faith was in the hands of the judges. As you glanced at the Davis corner, you could feel the tension, but fortunately for Tank, he was awarded the unanimous decision victory by the scores of 116-112, 115-113, and 115-113.
Immediately after the decision was announced, Isaac Cruz verbalized his thoughts in regards to him winning the fight, and he also requested a rematch, but Davis rejected the idea of a return bout.
Four months later, Cruz made his return to the ring as he demolished the 40-year-old veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa. It was a total mismatch as Cruz knocked Gamboa down a total of four times before Gamboa’s corner finally threw in the towel in the fifth round. Since beating Gamboa in impressive fashion, Isaac Cruz (23-2-1, 16 KOs) has been consistently calling out Tank Davis, and now it seems like Cruz could possibly be one step away from avenging his loss to Davis.
On Sunday, September 4, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, as the co-feature of the Andy Ruiz-Luis Ortiz Fox pay-per-view event, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will face Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez (27-2-3, 12 KOs). This could potentially be the final step in regards to Pitbull Cruz earning a return match against Gervonta Davis.
Before Cruz can think about Davis, he must complete the task in front of him. His opponent Eduardo Ramirez is on a five-fight win streak, and he enters this fight possessing a high level of confidence.
Ramirez’s chance of winning this fight relies on him using his size and reach advantages to control the distance. Pitbull is going to come at him all night long, and Ramirez must be prepared to use his legs and use angles to box and counter Cruz for the duration of the bout.
If Isaac Cruz is able to execute his game plan and get the win against Ramirez, a rematch against Tank Davis could be right around the corner. Recently Davis posted a tweet stating he will return to the squared circle in December. If Isaac Cruz is victorious against Ramirez, there is a good chance he will be selected to be the December opponent for Davis.
Initially, when asked if Cruz deserves a rematch, Davis stated, “hell no,” but if Cruz can manufacture two impressive victories back-to-back, that accomplishment may solidify a return bout between Davis and Cruz. The first fight was competitive, but Davis won because he was able to box with one hand for half of the fight. Davis normally uses the first half of his fights to download information, and then by the time the match enters the second half, he becomes more aggressive due to the fact that he has figured out the timing, range, and distance.
Isaac Cruz is a top lightweight contender, but his wish has the potential of turning into a nightmare. Yes, he did have success against Davis, but he also missed a lot of punches, he was average in regards to cutting the ring off, he couldn’t finish off a one-handed opponent, and he hasn’t faced a healthy two-handed Davis at his best which happens to be the second half of the fight.
Pitbull Cruz will more than likely enter a potential rematch as the underdog, but this is boxing, and anything can happen on any given night. Especially when you have a boxer like Cruz who is chomping at the bit for a chance at redemption. Cruz is extremely motivated for a return bout with Davis, but in order to get to that point, he must take care of business on September 4.
