Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz will be hoping to steal the show and claim Rolly Romero’s WBA super lightweight title on March 30 in Las Vegas.
They co-headline a rejigged card at the T-Mobile Arena that has seen Sebastian Fundora elevated into the main event against Tim Tszyu, following Keith Thurman’s arm injury, and Fundora has – in turn – been replaced by Brian Mendoza against Serhii Bohachuk.
But a fight that has captured the imagination is the aggressive Cruz and the outspoken Romero.
Mexican Cruz is 25-2-1 (17 KOs) and has won three in a row since a close loss to Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Last time out, in July on the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence bill, Cruz had his hands full with a split decision win over Giovanni Cabrera.
Romero has mocked Cruz throughout the build-up, referring to him as chihuahua, but Cruz is coming to fight, and he boasts what he calls the Mexican style.
“I would describe the Mexican style as a courageous style with a lot of punching. It’s a come forward style while remaining intelligent,” Cruz told Gloves Off, the new PBC shoulder programming show launched ahead of March 30.
“I’m a fighter whose style is that of a brawler, that’s why I’m 100 per cent sure that I have the characteristics of a Mexican fighter.”
Cruz is often asked about Davis, the fight and whether he believes there is a chance to face the Baltimore star again in the future. Talking about their December 2021 contest, Cruz said: “I think he [Davis] thought to himself, ‘Where did they find this guy?’ There was a point where he was getting quite desperate. He couldn’t hurt me, and we gave them a great fight. To me, that’s Mexican boxing.”
Cruz’s father was a fighter, and he got his son into boxing.
Romero is one of boxing’s more divisive characters. The champion, from Las Vegas, is 15-1 (13 KOs), and Cruz is hoping to silence Romero.
“I don’t have the words to describe Romero,” Cruz added. “I don’t care if he talks or what he says, the chihuahua is going to show up, it’s going to transform [into a pitbull] and he will never forget it. He’s never going to see this chihuahua again, but it will be a nightmare for the rest of his life.
“He likes to talk, I like to talk, too, but with punches in the ring. I’m in the best stage of my career. I feel like I can take his world championship.”