By Craig Daly: Former lightweight world title challenger Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and Giovanni Cabrera is a done deal for May or June.
It’s an exciting match-up in which the winner will be in a solid position to get a title shot.
The 24-year-old ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) would like nothing more than to get a rematch with WBA ‘regular’ 135-lb champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis after losing a close 12 round unanimous decision against the unbeaten Baltimore native in December 2021.
Although ‘Pitbull’ Cruz has already asked Tank Davis for a rematch, he’s not interested in granting him that request.
Cruz has since won consecutive fights against the past his prime 41-year-old Yuriorkis Gamboa last year and Eduardo Ramirez.
“A lightweight bout between Isaac Cruz and Giovanni Cabrera is set to take place this summer in the U.S.,” said Mike Coppinger to ESPN. “The fight is expected to take place in May or June.
A fight that ‘Pitbull’ Cruz reportedly turned down was against Shakur Stevenson, which would have put him in a position to challenge for the WBC title if he’d won.
As good as Shakur is fighting, you can’t blame Cruz for rejecting the fight because the chances of losing would have been high.
The fan-friendly Pitbull Cruz is ranked #2 WBC, #4 IBF, #4 WBO, and #6 WBA. He can fight for one of the lightweight titles if the current undisputed 135-lb champion Devin Haney vacates his four belts.
Cabrera (21-0, 7 KOs) is ranked #8 IBF and has a recent lopsided 10 round unanimous decision over former highly touted Gabriel Flores Jr last July.
The 22-year-old former amateur star Flores Jr was a fighter seen as a can’t-miss star at one time, but after losing to Luis Alberto Lopez and Cabrera, his career no longer looks as bright.
The 28-year-old Cabrera doesn’t possess much power but is an exceptional boxer. Pitbull Cruz is going to need to find a way to consistently get to the tall 5’8″ Cabrera to land his big shots because he’s not going to make it easy.
That would be the ideal situation because Cruz would likely be in over his head if he had to fight Shakur for the WBC belt if it’s vacated.
A fight that would be interesting would be Pitbull Cruz vs. Gustavo Lemos (28-0, 18 KOs). The 5’5 1/2” Lemos is built similarly to Gervonta Davis, and he’s a vicious body puncher.
Like Pitbull Cruz, Lemos is a pressure fighter who is totally relentless. He’s a more aggressive version of Pitbull Cruz and a better body puncher.