By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA light welterweight champion Mario Barrios sees Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KOs) as being dangerous and a real threat to beating Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) in their fight tonight on Showtime PPV at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Barrios, who gave Tank all he could handle last June, feels that Pitbull Cruz’s short height and a powerful inside game could be difficult for Tank to handle. Pitbull Cruz can do a lot of damage on Tank by hanging around into the second half of the fight.
He points out that Tank, 27, is used to fighting bigger guys, and it’s going to be a whole new experience to be fighting the 5’4″ Cruz, who will be fighting on the inside and throwing speedy combination with colossal power.
Barrios: Cruz has a style Tank hasn’t seen
Tank has primarily faced guys that threw one or two power shots at a time his entire eight-year professional career, and it’s going to be a different style than he’s been accustomed to.
Besides his inside game, Isaac Cruz’s youth and hunger are dangerous. Unlike Tank, Pitbull Cruz isn’t a wealthy millionaire set for life like him, and he’s going to be fighting with a lot of motivation to pull off the upset.
“Styles make fights, and I feel Cruz has a much different style than Gervonta is used to fighting,” said Mario Barrios to Fight Hub TV on Pitbull Cruz challenging Tank Davis tonight on Showtime PPV.
“For once, he’s [Gervonta] is fighting someone shorter than him, and that might present some issues. Tank is a great fighter and has a great boxing IQ. This is a fight of the lifetime for Cruz, and also Cruz is going in there ready,” said Barrios.
Tank has been getting hit a lot in his recent fights against Barrios, Leo Santa Cruz, and Yuriorkis Gamboa. It will be interesting to see if he can hold up under the firepower from Pitbull Cruz.
Looking at Pitbull Cruz’s recent win over former WBC super featherweight champion Fernando ‘El Bandito’ Vargas, it was impressive. Vargas tried clinching Cruz at one point and was hit with four consecutive uppercuts with colossal power, which forced him to let go.
These weren’t just light shots that Cruz landed while being held. He put a lot of energy into each one, and you could hear the impact. Tank isn’t much of a clincher, but he’s going to have to be careful at all times against Pitbull Cruz.
Pitbull Cruz is dangerous on the inside
“He’s a dangerous puncher and a dangerous inside fighter,” Barrios continued about Isaac Cruz. “I definitely see it being a competitive fight. Cruz, he doesn’t have an easy style. He’s going to fight on the inside, find his way there, and he’s going to work.
“This is boxing, and one punch can change a fight. Having someone always under your punches, it gets f***** annoying. Tank is used to fighting taller opponents. It might be easier for him to fight someone shorter. We’ll see how it plays out.
“That was kind of the similar style how Tank had with me,” said Barrios when told that Isaac Cruz is kind of like a Tazmanian Devin will the way he comes in swinging on the inside.
“[Gervonta] had to make his way inside. That’s what I feel Cruz is going to have to do with him. Tank is a great fighter with a great boxing IQ. I think it’s going to be a very exciting fight.
“This is boxing; anything can happen. I just know it’s going to be a good fight,” said Barrios when asked if he sees Tank beating Pitbull Cruz.
A win for Pitbull Cruz tonight would be the upset of the year because almost no one is giving him a chance. Barrios is one of the few besides this writer that is giving Pitbull Cruz a shot at beating Tank, but he could do it if he can hang around long enough.