‘Pitbull’ Cruz fighting to honor Israel Vazquez – and earn fights with Davis, Garcia

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz won’t ever forget the feeling of having his hand raised in victory as a super-lightweight champion last year.

As he surveys his prospects for 2025, he knows the best thing to do is raise his hand again.

Yes, Mexico’s Cruz knows he needs a convincing triumph February 1 against Tijuana’s aggressive Angel Fierro in the pay-per-view (Amazon, PPV.COM) co-main event to the David Benavidez-David Morrell light-heavyweight bout.

Should he deliver as he expects, Cruz, 26-3-1 (18 KOs), wants to elevate himself back in the conversation for bouts with Ryan Garcia and current WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis.

Cruz’s effort to volunteer for Davis and Garcia was derailed August 3 when he was upset by new WBA 140-pound champion Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela in Los Angeles – the second taller, sharp boxing southpaw to give Cruz fits in three bouts. 

But now Cruz is three weeks away from his return to Las Vegas, where he won over the crowd by originally winning that WBA belt March 30 against Las Vegas’ Rolly Romero

“Las Vegas loves Isaac, Isaac loves Las Vegas. He’s like Elvis Presley when he’s there – ready to shine on the big stage,” Cruz advisor Sean Gibbons told BoxingScene.

By all accounts, the bout with Fierro, 23-2-2 (18 KOs), should be a firefight, not the tactical types that have frustrated him.

“This is the perfect type of fight to jump back on the big stage and re-start the hype I had before my last fight,” Cruz said. “I want that hype for me to fight Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis. That’s still my focus. The fight fans want Davis, and people would love to see me jump in there and slap Ryan Garcia around.”

Garcia is suspended until April 20 following the three positive tests for the banned performance-enhancing drug Ostarine that he submitted before and after his three-knockdown victory over former 140-pound champion Devin Haney that was later changed to a no-contest.

The unbeaten Davis, after defeating replacement fighter Cruz by a narrow decision in 2021, will defend his belt against super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Davis has flashed a new hairstyle, posted previously that he’s cancelling the Roach fight and said he’d like to retire soon. Cruz sees it all as publicity ploys.

“I don’t care about what he does. I just want to be in the ring with this guy and prove that I am the real champion,” Cruz said. 

While the expectation is that Garcia will ease into his comeback with a lesser test than someone like Cruz, the former champion says putting on an attention-grabbing performance on Feb. 1 will help him lure Garcia to a significant event.

“Ryan may run for the hills if Isaac looks so strong, but Ryan should come right back into a tough fight, especially when he looked so good knocking Devin Haney to the floor three times,” Gibbons said. “Ryan wants only big fights. So why not Isaac Cruz? It won’t be Haney and Garcia and Davis are too far apart on weight.”

Cruz has been pleased with his training camp and is honored to have learned that the WBC will commemorate the Cruz-Fierro bout with a special belt created as a tribute to the late Mexican champion Israel Vazquez, whom Cruz deeply admired.

“I get chills, I almost want to cry thinking about losing Israel after being his matchmaker for five years,” Gibbons said of Vazquez, who died of cancer last month at 46. “I never heard him complain or ask, ‘Why me?’ He was a God-fearing man, all about his family, just like Isaac.

“This belt is for guys who don’t run or just talk. They bring it.”

Cruz said he’s hopeful his bout with Fierro will be as memorable as Vazquez’s gripping first three fights with Hall of Famer Rafael Marquez.

The belt will continue on following this bout whenever fights are made between boxers “who leave it all in the ring,” Gibbons said, reminding that Vazquez lost vision in an eye because of boxing.

“The fights that Isaac wants are the ones the fight fans want, and they will happen if Gervonta or Ryan accept the challenge.”