By Huck Allen: Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz has replaced Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero as the December 5th challenger for WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on SHOWTIME PPV at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
ESPN has confirmed that Rolly (14-0, 12 KOs) is now officially off the December 5th card due to accusations made against him for sexual assault.
Rolly, 24, posted on his Instagram on Monday, saying that he’s off the card and says he’ll prove through the legal system the accusations are “false.”
In the meantime, the tough #7 WBA ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs) will step in as the replacement for Gervonta to fight in the main event on SHOWTIME pay-per-view on December 5th.
‘Pitbull’ Cruz, 23, is an excellent fighter with arguably better skills than the 5’8″ Rolly, but not as powerful nor as big at 5’4″.
Cruz won’t have the size and power advantage over Tank that Rolly would have enjoyed, meaning he will be up against it in this fight. This is an excellent replacement for Tank to fight, and you got to applaud PBC and Showtime for picking him.
Cruz is from Mexico, and he has recent victories over former WBC super featherweight champion Francisco ‘El Bandito’ Vargas, Jose Matias Romero, Diego Magdaleno, Thomas Mattice, and Jose Felix.
‘Pitbull’ Cruz has fought quality opposition and proven himself as one of the top guys at 135. This writer rates Cruz over Ryan Garcia, Richard Commey, and Jorge Linares.
Devin Haney and Regis Prograis both had volunteered to step in as the replacement for Tank Davis to fight, but it’s unknown why they weren’t picked. The negotiations likely would have been complex if either one of those fighters had been selected by Mayweather Promotions and Showtime as the replacement.
Haney’s promoter Eddie Hearn mentioned that he was ready to jump in as the replacement because negotiations had gone well with Joseph ‘Jojo’ Diaz Jr. for a fight on December 4th.
However, Jojo said on Monday on Instagram live that he WILL be fighting Haney on December 4th because he agreed to, and he would keep his word. There was never any real chance of Haney fighting Gervonta on December 5th.
A Showtime spokesperson told reporters that Romero is officially out of the fight. https://t.co/CX21sRAXq3
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) November 1, 2021
“Cruz might be slightly better, but Rolly had a better puncher’s chance of winning, especially with his awkwardness and size.”
We’ll see what happens with Rolly as far as him clearing his name. It might be a while before we see him fight again until he gets this issue taken care of. If Rolly is cleared, we’ll likely see Tank battle him in 2022.
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