Two judges scored it 115-113 with a third tally of 116-112 for the Baltimore native. In fact, Isaac Cruz, a major underdog from Mexico, never appeared to be in any danger at all.ĭavis (26-0, 24 KOs), 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, didn't deliver the kind of spectacular performance fans were expecting, but he remained undefeated with a tougher-than-expected unanimous decision victory over Cruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs), 23, of Mexico, on Sunday before an announced attendance of 15,580 at Staples Center. "Tank" had Mayweather, his promoter and mentor, watching from ringside, but the fight-ending shot never materialized. LOS ANGELES - Gervonta Davis shot to boxing stardom with the support of Floyd Mayweather and a bundle of explosive knockouts. Gervonta Davis defeats Isaac Cruz in tough fight to retain his lightweight boxing title Michael Montero can be found on social media via His podcast “The Neutral Corner” can be seen every Monday on TheRingDigital YouTube channel, and heard on audio podcast platforms around the world.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser He earned that right with his better-than-expected performance against Davis. He will undoubtedly be back in the ring in a big fight soon. Meanwhile for Cruz, his life has certainly changed. Fans are excited to see Tank fight, he’s a proven ticket seller, but want to see him face the elite. and WBC titleholder Devin Haney, which would crown an undisputed lightweight champion, is very possible for early next year. A fight between Ring Magazine/unified champion George Kambosos Jr. Several of the top lightweights have fought each other recently. The fact is, Davis has yet to face an elite fighter in his prime and at his natural weight. Promoter Floyd Mayweather made a big stink about fans and media “hating” on his protégé earlier this week. Tonight, Davis returned to the lightweight division, where he hadn’t fought since his late TKO win over Yuriorkis Gamboa in 2019. His fight before that was at junior lightweight against Leo Santa Cruz. Earlier this year, he fought Mario Barrios at 140 pounds. It’s difficult to know where exactly to rate Tank he’s become the most frequent weight-jumper in the sport. But Davis was the more accurate puncher in every punching category.Ĭruz entered tonight’s bout rated ninth at lightweight by The Ring, while Davis is currently rated sixth at junior welterweight. Neither man scored with the jab much, as Davis landed 20, compared to just 9 for Cruz. CompuBox credited Davis with landing 133 of 462 total punches (29%) and Cruz 121 of 553 (22%). Punch stats revealed just how competitive this fight was. Photo by Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions Many in attendance felt a draw was possible.ĭavis and Cruz made for a hotly contested 12-round lightweight bout. There was nervous tension in Davis’ corner before the scorecards were read. Suddenly it felt like Davis could be taking over, but Cruz battled back and did some great work in the championship rounds. The power punches were freezing Cruz at times and limiting his offensive output as well. The southpaw landed several counter uppercuts and hooks that delighted the celebrity fans in attendance. In the middle rounds, Tank stepped up his aggression. Davis meanwhile showed a lot of movement, attempting to set up big counters. Cruz, who replaced original opponent Rolando Romero after he withdrew due to legal issues, was able to land plenty of hard body punches that got Tank’s attention early on. And if the fans want a rematch, I want it.”Ĭruz came out swinging from the opening bell, letting the heavily favored Davis know that he would not be intimidated. I think I maintained the rhythm right from the start to the end of the fight. “Pitbull is always going to be on the attack, always pressuring. “The fans are speaking on who won this fight.” “A star was born tonight,” he said during the post-fight interview. They cheered for him when it was it was his turn on the mic. Photo by Ryan Hafey / PBCĬruz (22-2-1, 15 KOs) had won over the diehard fight fan portion of the crowd inside Staples Center.
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