Gervonta Davis defeats Isaac Cruz via unanimous decision
Gervonta "Tank" Davis (26-0-0, 24 KO) retained his WBA lightweight title and is still undefeated after beating Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz (22-2-1) via unanimous decision.
With scores of 116-112, 115-113, 115-113, this is only the second time an opponent has stood up to Davis for 12 rounds. After the fight, both men showed respect towards each other, but when asked if the fight deserved a rematch, Tank responded with a resounding, "Hell no."
Cruz came out swinging in the first round of his first world title opportunity, making it one of his four rounds won, according to the three judges. Davis took the other eight but not without a struggle.
Though the crowd was pro-Davis, there were some "Mexico" and "Si se puede" chants throughout the fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Famous faces were yelling "ooh" as Cruz and David put each other up against the ropes with powerful punches thrown with bad intentions.
The referee had to separate the two fighters on multiple ocassions throughout the night, as they kept getting tangled up and wrestling on the ropes. Cruz lost some energy in the third round as Davis picked up his pace with left hooks and uppercuts.
In the fourth, Cruz had Davis backpedaling and rightfully won the round. After the first four, Davis landed 35 of his 149 punches while Cruz had 44 successful hits on 192 attempts.
Cruz continued pressing all 12 rounds, but the speed and agility of Davis allowed him to dodge most punches by the Mexican fighter. Halfway through, Cruz slowed down but became more methodical in the next two rounds, landing a right uppercut to end the eigth.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS
Floyd "Money" Mayweather - the promoter of Gervonta Davis - looked on from the stands as the championship rounds got on their way. Rounds nine and 10 were split between the two fighters, and everything could end with a single power punch in the final two.
As round 11 got on its way, and with Davis losing some of the rhythm he established in the middle round, "Si se puede" chants fell from the stands. Beforethe final round, the two boxers acknowledged each other in the middle of the ring and finished the fight with a wild round.
Round 12 started with Davis joking, posing on the ropes as he got tangled with Cruz., but as soon as he got wobbled, he got serious. He slipped right after, and then Cruz seemed off balance.
Anything could have happened during that sequence, but the fight ended with a big right hook by Cruz. In the end, the Mexican's efforts were not enough to become the first man on the planet to beat Gervonta Davis on the ring.
Post a Comment