Isaac Cruz Destroys Eduardo Ramirez; Now Wants Tank Davis or Devin Haney
It was a battle of determined and hungry Mexican lightweights as Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) and Eduardo “Zurdito” Ramirez (27-3-3, 12 KOs) battled it out in a WBC world title eliminator at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Cruz was a fighter lightly regarded when he fought current WBA Regular 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis in December 2021. To the surprise of many, Cruz gave the champ his share of problems. Though he lost by unanimous decision, “Pitbull” gained newfound respect from the fans and pundits. Ranked by all four world-sanctioning bodies at 135 (#2 WBC, #3 WBO, #4 IBF, #11 WBA), the 24-year-old rebounded from that setback with a dominant fifth-round TKO over two-division world champion Yuriorkis Gamboa in April 2022.
Here he faced Ramirez, who came into this bout on a five-fight winning streak since a decision loss to Claudio Marrero in June 2019. During the pre-fight lead-up, Ramirez said he’s worked extremely hard and was ready to do whatever to win.
POWER-PUNCHING DISPLAY
Cruz likes to attack from the opening bell, which was surely the case in this one. He stalked behind a high guard treating Ramirez like chum to a shark. It continued into round two and late in the round, a hellacious left hook put Ramirez down.
Sensing the end was near, Cruz went on an all-out assault. A series of power punches from “Pitbull” left his foe in more trouble and put him down for a second time. With thirty-three seconds to go in the round, the referee had seen enough and waved the fight over.
Fighting in front of a star-studded crowd, Cruz was on a mission to destruct and destroy. Quickly becoming a fan favorite, he’s right in the mix at 135. Following the win, he called for either a rematch with Davis or a match with the current undisputed lightweight champ, Devin Haney.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
