Gervonta Davis is popular with fans due to the devastating knockouts he frequently delivers. Davis supporters came out in force to the Staples Center on Sunday night in hopes of witnessing another fantastic finish. But late replacement, Isaac “Pit Bull” Cruz, proved to be an unwilling victim.
Gervonta Davis planned to fight Rolly Romero in front of the crowd assembled in Los Angeles. But Cruz received an offer to fight Davis after Romero withdrew from the fight. The Mexican native gave Davis all he could handle but fell short in his bid to leave with a secondary WBA lightweight title.
Gervonta Davis came into the fight against Cruz with an undefeated record in 25 professional boxing matches. Only one fighter had proved able to go to the distance with Davis before the spirited effort from Cruz Sunday night.
Isaac Cruz promised to fight with aggression against Davis. He kept that promise from the sound of the opening bell. Davis, who says he hurt his hand in the fight’s middle rounds, escaped with a hotly contested unanimous decision.
“I hurt my hand,” Davis explains. “So, I couldn’t get him out of there.”
Davis often fights opponents who enjoy a height advantage. The champion says his opponent’s height and fighting style contributed to the injury. ” I was throwing down at the top of his head,” Davis described the unfamiliar punching motion. “I hit him with my knuckle and messed it up.”
Two of the three judges agreed on a score of 115-113 for Davis. The third judge scored the fight 116-112. It was the first of Davis’ 11 championship fights to last 12 rounds. The only other time Davis failed to score a knockout was in a sixth-rounder taking place earlier in his professional career.
Isaac Cruz is now 22-2-1 as a professional. The impressive performance against Davis will likely earn him another big fight in the not-too-distant future. “That’s my style,” Cruz commented on his fan-friendly performance. “Pit Bull is always going to be on the attack.”