Isaac Cruz - champion and rising star

With Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz’s recent win over Rolly Ramirez, it was clear that there is a new star in the 140-pound division, and with the right follow-up win, he could be bordering on superstar status in the sport.

Anyone who was in the T-Mobile Arena for the fight on March 30 could see that despite being in the warmup slot to the Tim Tszyu - Sebastian Fundora main event, the most popular fighter in the building that night was Cruz.

Isaac came into the fight on a 3-fight win streak. The trio of victories followed his first title shot in which he dropped a close decision to champion Gervonta Davis. Despite coming up short in the 135-pound fight, his competitive effort against pound-for-pound star Davis led to a massive following for the likable native of Mexico City.

Romero was making the 2nd defense of the title he won a year after himself being beaten (stopped) by Davis. Before the fight, Romero, nothing if not confident, wrote off Cruz as “an easy fight” who was “gonna walk into a big shot because he is stupid”.

It was interesting to hear the Las Vegas crowd boo Romero, who was born and raised in Las Vegas, as he entered the ring. This was in stark contrast to Cruz, who would see the fans erupt for him as he entered the arena.

Once the fight started it was clear that Cruz was indeed no easy task for Romero. Pitbull’s air-tight defensive shell and accurate, hard, counter shots kept a flustered Romero in retreat mode for most of the fight. After being buzzed several times in the bout, referee Thomas Taylor finally halted the fight in the 8th round before Romero got badly hurt.

The T-Mobile Arena exploded, Cruz jumped onto the ropes, and Mexico, a country with a long, glorious history of great fighters, was watching its latest champion get crowned.

Cruz now takes his place on the champion’s podium at 140 pounds. The potential follow-up fights for Cruz are many with the division sporting a great cast of talented fighters like Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez, Ryan Garcia and Subrial Matias, to name a few. 

While Cruz enjoys a rest back home, manager Sean Gibbons will preview the landscape for the best fight for his latest champion, sometime later in the year.

Whomever Cruz fights, the fans will be out in droves passionately supporting a fighter that is inching towards superstar status. Cruz is an easy guy to root for. He is as friendly, approachable and humble out of the ring as he is ferocious in it. Fans recognize this quality and are drawn to the man with the warm smile and the vicious counter punches.

It’s all in the family with Isaac. Cruz seems at his happiest around his lovely wife and 2 young boys and he is trained by his father. He is also never too busy to stop for a picture or an autograph. This humility is making him a fan favorite and if he follows up his title-winning effort with another big win, he is going to be one of the biggest stars in boxing. 

In true Cruz fashion, after winning the world title, his extravagant after-party was some pizza with his family, his team, and some close friends. In a sport of characters littered with gaudy jewelry and obsessed with social media ‘likes’, it is these refreshing man-of-the-people character traits that are making Cruz a huge star in the game.

And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.   

After the fight, Gibbons, thrilled with his fighter’s effort on the night, was all smiles.

“I’ve been in boxing a long time and nights like this are great”, he said. “You can’t be happier for a guy than to see someone like Isaac get his rewards for all his hard work. He is just such a nice young man and is so humble and hardworking”, said Gibbons. “I’m so happy for him and his family. He deserves all his success”, he said.

Asked what is next, Gibbons was non-committal at this early stage.

“It’s time to let him relax at home. Enjoy his big win and then we’ll see what is ahead”, said Gibbons. “I will tell you this though, whomever is across the ring from him for the next fight, he’s in for a tough day at the office because Cruz is getting better and better”, he said. “Yes, he is strong and aggressive in there, but we all knew that. But his defence was so solid, his distance and timing were great, he controlled the ring”, continued Gibbons. “This is gonna be a hard guy to beat”, said Gibbons with a big smile. “Viva Pitbull”.