Leo Santa Cruz says beating Gervonta Davis makes him pound for pound level
As he prepares for his upcoming pay-per-view bout on October 24, WBA super world super featherweight champion Leo Santa “El Terremoto” Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KO’s) is bristling with confidence. In his mind, while his opponent regular WBA world lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (23-0, 22 KO’s) will be a handful, Cruz doesn’t see anything he can’t handle.
CONFIDENCE IS KEY
Seeking to carry himself as a proud Mexican fighter, Cruz has chased this fight because he believes that Davis is one of the sport’s most elite competitors. Yet despite the challenge ahead, El Terremoto believes that in the end his near-inexhaustible engine and high work-rate will be enough to befuddle the thunderous punching Maryland native.
“Personally, you know I have nothing against Gervonta Davis, he’s a great fighter. He’s really good and everything but I want to fight the best. Gervonta is one of the best ones right now, he is a upcoming fighter that is great.”
“He has become two-division world champion and I think if I beat him it’s going to put me on the next level and it could even put me on the pound for pound best. So that’s what I am hoping for. That’s what I have been training my whole life for, to get this fight. I am very excited because it’s going to be my first pay-per-view fight.”
“…I’m very motivated because my dad believes that I can beat him. He says that I have everything that I [need] to beat him. He says I just have to be careful and not get caught with those big punches that he throws and if I use my experience and my distance I can beat him. And then bigger fights come after this.”
VOLUME OVER POWER?
For the fans, there are two glaring questions when it comes to this upcoming clash. The first being: can and will Davis make the weight? From the outside looking in, it appeared that one of the bigger issues of contention in the negotiation process was determining the weight class that the fight would take place at.
Not only is Tank the heavier lightweight champion, he has had notorious problems making weight in the past. In fact, he shocked a great deal of boxing enthusiasts when he initially missed weight when he first moved up to the 135lbs division in his memorable showdown with Yuriorkis Gamboa.
So now that Team Cruz obviously won that battle, being the fight is being contested at the super featherweight limit, it will be a nail-bitter for Davis fans to see if he can win his duel with the scale. This is also probably why this bout has the rather odd stipulation of putting up both Cruz’s WBA super featherweight title, as well as Tank’s WBA lightweight title.
IRON BEARD OR GLASS JAW?
Provided that Davis does make weight, then the next question becomes: can Cruz take his power? Everyone knows that El Terremoto is coming to overwhelm and essentially outpoint Tank. The trouble with this game plan is, defensively speaking, Cruz is no Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.
Said to say, when he is applying his high volume style, there will be endless opportunities for the Maryland native to separate him from his senses. But will Cruz prove to have the iron beard necessary to prevail over Davis? Guess we will just have to tune in to find out.
By: Bakari Simpson
