De La Hoya And Ryan Garcia Clown Romero After ‘Pitbull Cruz’ Stops Him – ‘Chihuahua Beat You’
Isaac Cruz dominated Rolando Romero, stopping him in round eight to become the WBA Junior Welterweight Champion.
Romero talked a big game, heading into the fight. He mocked ‘Pitbull’ by referring to him as a ‘chihuahua.’ But the Mexican did not let that faze him, as he was clearly a man on a mission. In the opening round, Cruz almost got Rolly out of the ring. He landed a big right hand over the top, but his left hook buckled Romero. Rolly’s legs looked unsteady as he somehow made it out of the round.
Cruz On Fire
Pitbull did not lett up as he grew in confidence. He targeted the body, closing the distance, as Romero tried his best to work on the outside. The crowd responded by booing Romero, who did not want to exchange. Rolly had a bit of success in the third, simply by not getting hit as much. The champion resorted to clinching, getting a point docked in the fifth round by the referee.
Romero Becomes Desperate
That simply delayed the inevitable. By round seven, it was only a matter of time before Romero was stopped. Cruz was hunting his man down, hitting him at will, with right-left combinations. Rolly looked unsteady on his way to the corner at the end of the seventh, with serious concerns.
After an inspection from the ringside doctor, Romero was allowed to continue. He gained a moment of rest as the fight stopped to enable the tape on Cruz’s gloves to be tightened. Upon the restart, Cruz backed up Romero on the ropes, hitting him without reply. The referee waved off the fight in the eighth, giving Cruz his first world title.
Post-Fight Comments
“I’m very happy and humbled to win this title for my family and for Mexico. I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. [And] I was here to terminate him… I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena.
“There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time. I feel great! Here were the fruits of four months of hard work reaping their rewards. This is priceless. It was just a matter of time, but damn if it doesn’t feel good to be a world champion. I fought with the intention to leave the decision out of the judges’ hands. Mission accomplished.
“I don’t have anything to say to Gervonta (Davis), really. He can whatever he wants, but we silenced the doubters tonight. If he isn’t scared, let’s go for the rematch. Ryan Garcia can say whatever he wants. I’ll make him eat all the trash he talks, just like I did with Rolly. This wasn’t just me. It was something I accomplished thanks to the support of my family,” Cruz
Boxing Fans
Rest Of The Card
Sebastian Fundora beat Tim Tszyu via a split decision (116-112, 115-113, 112-116)
Isaac Cruz beat Rolando Romero via a eighth-round TKO
Erislandy Lara beat Michael Zerafa via a second-round TKO
Julio Cesar Martinez beat Angelino Cordova via a majority decision (113-113, 114-112 x2)
Serhii Bohachuk beat Brian Mendoza via a unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111 x2)
Curmel Moton beat Anthony Cuba via a unanimous decision (80-72 x3)
Mirco Cuello beat Sulaiman Segawa via a unanimous decision (80-72, 79-73, 78-74)
Kaipo Gallegos beat Eric Howard via a unanimous decision (60-53 x2, 59-54)
Justin Villoria def. Erick Benitez via a unanimous decision (40-36 x3)
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