By Vince Dwriter: Just over a year ago, Showtime’s December 2021 pay-per-view card with Gervonta “Tank” Davis was in jeopardy when his opponent Rolando “Rolly” Romero was hit with major legal charges. Romero came under intense public scrutiny and was pulled from the fight as a result, but luckily, a rising contender stepped in to fill the void.
Fresh off his unanimous decision win over Francisco Vargas, Mexican boxer Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz jumped at the chance and agreed to a deal to fight Davis. With only four weeks to prepare, Cruz and his team had to put together a game plan to beat one of the best lightweights in boxing. On the other end of the spectrum, Gervonta Davis had just four weeks to prepare for a man who brings a style of aggression he had never encountered in the ring as a professional.
When Tank Davis and Pitbull Cruz squared off inside the ring, Cruz was off to a great start. Using a tight high guard, Cruz constantly moved forward and applied smart pressure. He effectively attacked Davis’s body and 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 the movement to set up his counterpunches. As he battled Cruz inside the ring, Davis would face an adverse situation. At the midpoint of the fight, Gervonta Davis injured his left hand, but was able to continue fighting using his legs and basically boxing one-handed.
By completing the 12 rounds, the faith of both fighters was in the hands of the judges. As you watched Davis’ corner, you could feel the tension, but luckily for Tank, he was awarded the unanimous decision win by scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113.
Immediately after the decision was announced, Isaac Cruz expressed his thoughts regarding winning the fight and also requested a rematch, but Davis rejected the idea of a return fight.
Four months later, Cruz made his return to the ring when he demolished 40-year-old veteran Yuriorkis Gamboa. It was a total mismatch as Cruz dropped Gamboa a total of four times before Gamboa’s corner finally threw in the towel in the fifth round. Ever since he upset Gamboa in impressive fashion, Isaac Cruz (23-2-1, 16 KOs) has been constantly calling out Tank Davis, and now it looks like Cruz might 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-headliner of the Andy Ruiz-Luis Ortiz Fox pay-per-view event, Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will face Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramírez. (27-2-3, 12 KOs). This could potentially be the final step in regards to Pitbull Cruz winning a comeback match against Gervonta Davis.
Before Cruz can think about Davis, he must complete the task in front of him. His opponent Eduardo Ramirez is riding a five-fight win streak and comes into this fight with a high level of confidence.
Ramirez’s chance of winning this fight hinges on him using his size and reach advantages to control the distance. Pitbull will attack him throughout the night, and Ramirez should be prepared to use his legs and angles to box and counter Cruz during the fight.
If Isaac Cruz can execute his game plan and get the win against Ramirez, a rematch with Tank Davis could be just around the corner. Davis recently posted a tweet stating that he will return to the ring in December. If Isaac Cruz wins against Ramirez, there’s a good chance he’ll be selected to be Davis’ December opponent.
Initially asked if Cruz deserved a rematch, Davis said, “hell no,” but if Cruz can manufacture two impressive wins in a row, that achievement may solidify a comeback fight between Davis and Cruz. The first fight was competitive, but Davis won because he was able to box with one hand for half the fight. Davis normally uses the first half of fights on him to download information, and then as the match enters the second half, he becomes more aggressive due to the fact that he has figured out timing, range, and distance.
Isaac Cruz is a top lightweight contender, but his desire has the potential to turn into a nightmare. Yes, he had success against Davis, but he also missed a lot of punches, was average when it came to cutting the ring, couldn’t finish an opponent with one hand and hasn’t faced two healthy ones. he-he gave up Davis at his best, which happens to be the second half of the fight.
Pitbull Cruz will most likely go into a potential rematch as the underdog, but this is boxing, and anything can happen on any given night. Especially when you have a fighter like Cruz who is itching for a chance at redemption. Cruz is extremely motivated for a comeback fight with Davis, but to get to that point, he must take care of business on Sept. 4.
