By Brian Webber: Mike Tyson says he thinks lightweight contender Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz reminds him most of how he used to fight in the current era of boxing.
Built a lot like Tyson with his short height, ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) is a guy who is constantly coming forward, working his way in close to wing bombs to the head & body in combination form.
The 25-year-old Cruz could take the limelight away from the main event fight between Errol Spence Jr & Terence Crawford on July 29th with his co-feature bout against Giovanni Cabrera (21-0, 7 KOs)
Cruz and Cabrera are going to be a war, and it’s going to be exciting to see if ‘Pitbull’ can continue his path to a rematch with WBA ‘regular’ lightweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
The superstar Tank is in jail at the moment, but when he gets out, he could be facing Cruz next if he comes out victorious and looks impressive in his fight with Cabrera on July 29th.
“If I had to say someone, I would say Isaac Cruz. He’s short and stubby for his weight like I was, and he comes at you,” said Mike Tyson to RingTV when asked which current fighter reminds him of himself in how he fought during his career.
“Cruz reminds me the most of who I was. He comes at you with bad intentions.”
‘Pitbull’ Cruz is arguably the most exciting fighter in the 135-lb division, yes, even more, thrilling to watch than Tank Davis because he throws more combinations and is constantly in the face of his opponents.
Cruz was highly entertaining in his recent knockout victories over Eduardo Ramirez and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Before that, he lost a razor-close 12 round unanimous decision to Gervonta in December 2021 in a fight many boxing fans felt he did enough to win.
With Tank, he’s just looking for one punch and moves around a lot. The 28-year-old Gervonta has stopped throwing combos like he used to and is now a Canelo Alvarez type of fighter who loads up on single kill-shots, looking to KO his opponents with a highlight reel knockout.
Cruz’s opponent for July 29th, the 28-year-old Giovanni Cabrera, is coming off an impressive victory over the highly touted former amateur sensation last July, beating Gabriel Flores Jr by a one-sided ten round unanimous decision.
It’s going to be interesting to see how ‘Pitbull’ Cruz deals with Cabrera’s wicked combination of boxing ability and power punching. This guy has excellent skills, making it tough for anyone, even the Tyson-esque ‘Pitbull’ Cruz, to deal with.
