Boxing
Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Jr.: Who has the edge heading into their fight?
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Already the WBA super featherweight world champion, Lamont Roach Jr. tried his hand at becoming a lightweight world titleholder though a controversial draw ruling against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis dashed his plans of becoming a two-division world champ.
Well, Roach Jr. will try again, this time challenging WBC interim super lightweight titleholder Isaac 'Pitbull' Cruz at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, and live on pay-per-view, Saturday night.
Roach Jr. (25-1-2, 10 KOs) gained new fans after standing up to Davis in their March fight, while Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KOs) enters the bout on a two-fight win streak, having last defeated Omar Salcido via a punishing unanimous decision in July.
Will Roach Jr. flash enough savvy and grit to keep ‘Pitbull’ on a leash, snatching his interim title? Or will Cruz’ pressure overwhelm the Washington D.C. native?
DAZN News analyzes who has the edge between Cruz and Roach Jr. entering this pay-per-view headliner.
Boxing Styles
All gas, no brakes, Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is fan favorite for his unrelenting pressure as a forward-fighting force.
When he is not banging away to body with clubbing shots, he is detonating compact hooks around fighters’ guards and aiming across the jaw or upside their heads.
The WBC interim super lightweight champion will put that ruthless aggression up against a gritty Lamont Roach Jr. who can outbox opponents working behind a piston-like jab and get nasty on the inside by wrapping pounding hooks around their guards.
Can Roach Jr. use that style to keep ‘Pitbull’ off him? It is possible.
Edge: Roach Jr.
Power
Roach Jr. is more of the marksman, pinpointing and locating his targets with crisp precision.
Cruz, on the other hand, carries heavier pop to his punch, having notched 18 of his 28 victories by the way of knockout.
His shots are more explosive, giving him the advantage here.
Edge: Cruz
Mental Warfare
Curbing a rabid fighter who lives up to his nickname of being a ‘Pitbull’ can be every bit of exhausting mentally as physically.
But Roach Jr. is coming off of impressively standing toe to toe with one of the most dangerous knockout artists in boxing in ‘Tank’ Davis — with many feeling Roach Jr. did enough to win.
An incredible amount of confidence should have been gained by Roach Jr. having experienced that.
While ‘Pitbull’ has made a home at 140 pounds where Roach Jr. is debuting at, the latter has built the mental fortitude needed to shine here, too.
Edge: Roach Jr.
Who has the edge in ‘Pitbull’ Cruz vs. Roach Jr.?
DAZN News sees the advantage riding with Roach Jr., 2-1, in what will be a closely-contested fight.
At 30, Roach Jr. has all the tools plus the ring IQ needed to swing his career into an upwards trajectory toward 2026.
Getting the judges’ nod on the scorecards slipped his grasp against Davis, giving Roach Jr. the urgency to make sure that doesn’t apply with Cruz.
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