BALTIMORE — Baltimore boxer Gervonta “Tank” Davis will continue his path to superstardom on Sunday when he faces Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz for the World Boxing Association lightweight title at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Davis, who was originally set to fight the hard-hitting Rolando Romero before Romero was pulled from the fight last month because of sexual assault allegations, will square off with a fighter confident he can score an upset.
“I am going to show everybody that Isaac Cruz is a true Mexican warrior, and I’m going to show them what I’m worth with every punch I throw,” Cruz said Wednesday. “They will see what I’m worth.”
Davis, a five-time world champion, said facing a new fighter didn’t change his approach or training for the match. “That’s just the sport of boxing,” he said. “You have to be ready for anything. I always know that I have to adapt to whatever comes my way.”
Sunday’s fight will come after Davis defeated Mario Barrios in an 11-round knockout back in June. Davis is 25-0 with 24 knockouts while being taken under the wing of legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“It’s amazing to be fighting on Sunday,” Davis said. “You have football during the day and boxing at night. I have a lot of young fans that watch me, and I think this is going to be a great show.”
Davis is a star in the sport, and Staples Center is the perfect environment for him to shine. He said he was made for this stage and is excited to fight in Los Angeles.
As Davis is gearing up to defend his title, he has a hearing scheduled in March in relation to his hit-and-run charges that stem from a crash that occurred in Baltimore in November of 2020.
Cruz, 23, is 22-1 (15 knockouts). He won his last two fights by unanimous decision, while his last knockout was against Diego Magdaleno on the undercard of Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz in October of 2020.
Cruz said he is extremely motivated for this fight, as he has been putting in maximum effort every day.
“Gervonta is a great champion, and if he said that I’m a tougher fighter than Rolando Romero, then there is a reason for that,” Cruz said. “He knows that I’m a better fighter than Romero because he saw me fight in San Antonio. There is a reason for his comments.”
Davis has been told Cruz will come forward and be aggressive. But Davis said it’s easier said than done. Davis has been training for 13 weeks and is confident in his preparation.
“If [Cruz] does, we’ll give the fans an exciting fight,” Davis said. “We know that’s his game plan. I just have to be smart, do what I do best, and put on a perfect performance.”
Rising super welterweight star Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora will fight unbeaten Sergio Garcia in a WBC Super Welterweight World Title Eliminator that serves as the co-main event of the Showtime pay-per-view broadcast.
World Boxing Association lightweight title
Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz
Sunday, 8 p.m.
TV: Showtime
