Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz has named his hitlist of fighters he wants to face after he defends his WBA light welterweight title this Saturday, August 3rd, against Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The fighters Cruz is interested in fighting:
- Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis
- Teofimo Lopez
- Ryan Garcia
- Shakur Stevenson
Cruz Dismisses Shakur Stevenson as “Boring”
Pitbull Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) says he views WBC lightweight champion Shakur as boring and someone who will put fans to sleep like at a “Mozart” concert.
Stevenson has worn out his welcome among the top fighters with consecutive lackluster performances against Artem Harutyunyan and Edwin De Los Santos. If Tank Davis is going to fight Shakur, he would need to do it as soon as possible because his value would be worthless.
After Top Rank invested money in signing Shakur following his loss to Cuban talent Robeisy Ramirez in 2016, he turned out to be fake gold and unable to pass the magnet test for the genuine 24K. They should have known from watching Shakur against Robeisy that he didn’t possess the talent to become a star.
In the Olympic finals, Stevenson fought defensively against the Cuban and was beaten soundly. As a pro, Shakur continues to fight similarly, which is not interesting for fans. It’s unclear what Top Rank was thinking when they signed Shakur. If they thought he would change his fighting style, they badly misjudged him.
Cruz Prioritizes Ryan Garcia and Tank Davis
“Gervonta, Teofimo, Ryan, and the last Shakur,” said Isaac Cruz to Fight Hub TV when asked who he would like to fight. “Ryan, because he’s a fighter that people want to see, and that’s what I want to do. Maybe someday with Ryan.
“The last one with Stevenson because that’s not a fight for the people, and all the people will go to sleep,” said ‘Pitbull’ Cruz about Shakur being boring for the fans. “Shakur will have like a Mozart concert and everyone will go to sleep.”
It’s pointless for Pitbull Cruz to speak of fighting Shakur because if he gets the fight he’s been campaigning for against Tank Davis, he will lose that one, and he’ll no longer be worth much as an opponent. He’ll become a Rolly Romero type.
Cruz is better off focusing on Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney. Those guys will attract an audience right now. Teofimo is on a serious decline and hasn’t been the same fighter since his win over Vasily Lomachenko in 2020.
That fight took the best out of Teofimo, and he’s holding it together now due to Top Rank’s careful, protective match-making. Teo is a dying star, heading towards supernova.
Pitbull’s Immediate Focus
“He is a good fighter and very strong. We’re prepared, and I think we will win,” said Pitbull about his fight this Saturday against Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela.
Rayo has dramatically changed his fighting style since his loss to Edwin De Los Santos and has adopted Lomachenko’s movement. It will be interesting to see if Pitbull can catch up to him to land his shots on Saturday night.
“He said he wanted to knock me out, but why did he try and come to be my friend?” Cruz said about not wanting to shake Rayo’s hand during the face-off.
Cruz is still bent out of shape about Rayo, saying he wants to knock him out, which is weird because that’s what all fighters say. If he’s going to get upset every time his opponents predict victory, it’s going to be bad blood every time he fights.
“Maybe in the future, but right now, I feel comfortable at [140],” said Cruz when asked if he could move up to 147.
Read the full article here
