Posted on 03/30/2024
By: Sean Crose
Both men had given hard hitting star Gervonta Davis a fight. And, although both fighters came up short against the man named “Tank,” there was no doubt that Isaac Cruz, 25-2-1, and Rolando Romero, 15-1, had subsequently moved on from defeat successfully. For, on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Cruz challenged Romero for Romero’s WBA super lightweight crown. With each man aware of how important the fight was, there was good reason for fans to expect an entertaining battle. Being a title fight, the Romero-Cruz match was scheduled for twelve.
Cruz fired away with left hooks immediately after the sound of the opening bell. Romero took to moving about. The strategy didn’t go as planned, as Cruz rocked and hurt Romero, who then desperately tried to keep himself off the canvas. Romero survived the round, but it was clearly not the opening he expected or wanted. The defending champion tried to change the tempo in the second behind his jab. And indeed, the man had a better round – but Cruz’ punches clearly had real power behind them. Romero took to his bicycle again in the third. The crowd didn’t like it, but it kept Cruz from landing.
Still, Cruz was thudding on his man in the fourth. His bodywork was drumming, while his head shots – when they found their mark – were clearly damaging Romero. By the fifth it was clear that Cruz was hoping to break his man down while Romero was aiming to keep the challenger at bay consistently. Romero indeed had a better round, though the referee took a point from him for holding excessively. While it was true Romero was landing well in the sixth, Cruz was obviously firing the more powerful shots.
Cruz tagged Romero in the first half of the seventh with a powerful left hook. Romero took it well, but then took another a short time later. Then another after that. The last portion of the round saw Romero severely hurt again. Cruz followed through with an explosive display of violence. The fact Romero was somehow able to remain on his feet was impressive in and of itself. Still, the ring doctor had to check him out before coming out for the eighth. Romero was allowed to continue, but Cruz immediately took to chopping away at the fading champion.
After being sent to his corner in order to get some extra tape on his glove, Cruz ended the night by tearing into Romero with a frightening display of violence. The referee, seeing Romero’s head literally bouncing about as a result of Cruz’ punches, wisely stopped the fight.