Cruz-ing to the top of the lightweight division

He only stands 5’4” tall, but as the people’s champion, he’s a fighter looking to stand head and shoulders among a vastly talented group of fighters at 135 pounds – possibly boxing’s hottest division.

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, (24-2-1, 17 KOs), is as hot a fighter as there is in boxing and he is quickly becoming must-see TV for fight fans. When the Pitbull steps in the ring, fans are expecting action, and he never fails to deliver. 

After turning pro in 2015, save for dropping a points decision in his 6th fight back in 2016, and a 6-round draw a year later, things were looking good for the compact, power-punching native of Mexico City. After his draw in 2017, he would run off 11 straight wins leading up to a title shot in 2021 against heavy favorite and budding superstar, Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Included in that run was a one-round blitzing of former world title challenger Diego Magdaleno and a dominant points win over former world champion Francisco Vargas. 

In December of 2021, Cruz would light up the (then-named) Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles against Davis. He came up short on the scorecards in a razor-thin distance loss for the WBA title but impressed mightily.  

In short, he made a lot of Isaac Cruz fans that night.

He wasted no time returning to the ring four months later, he blasted out former world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in Arlington, Texas. Then, in his last outing, he drilled Eduardo Ramirez in two heats back in Los Angeles in chief support of headliner Andy Ruiz against Luis Ortiz. 

Working in a division that boasts an incredible array of talent and all massively popular fighters, the options are endless for Cruz. Look for him to likely return in December to close out the year with another sizzling performance.

MaxBoxing caught up with Cruz advisor Sean Gibbons from his home in Las Vegas to get his thoughts on where he sees his man in the crop of red-hot 135 Pounders.

“Billy, we are talking about a division that boasts talented, and hugely popular fighters like Tank Davis, Devin Haney, Vasily Lomachenko, and Ryan Garcia to name a few," he said. “Plus, Shakur Stevenson, another great champion, just added himself to the 135-pound mix. The matchup possibilities at 135 are off the charts, and Pitbull wants to fight all of them," he continued. “This guy doesn’t turn down fights, he just wants to fight the best."

Gibbons was clear: A title is what they want. 

“He just wants to be in big fights, against the best, he wants to get another shot at a world title. We are probably looking at a December return. Look, people like watching him fight because he brings the action. I call him the ‘Mexican Mike Tyson’. With his style, all-action, non-stop pressure, he wins the room over in every arena he fights in," he said. “Line them up, he isn’t picky, he just wants a world title shot and he’ll face anyone to get there,” he said.

“Viva Pitbull."