As some fight fans expected, last night’s supporting feature of a fight on the big card in Vegas that was of course topped by David Benavidez Vs. David Morrell, proved to be THE fight of the night. The all-Mexican rumble that saw 140 pounders Isaac “Putbull” Cruz and Angel Fieerro go at it proved breathtaking, the red-hot action something to behold. There really is something special when two Mexican dudes climb into the right to war with one another.
And last night’s ten-rounder was not only thrilling, it was also close enough (on fan cards, not the on two of the three official cards) for the call to be heard for the two to do it again. After 10 at times savage sessions, Cruz improved to 27-3-1(18) courtesy of a UD that had him up by scores of 96-94, 97-93, and a way too wide 98-92. Fierro, who like Cruz has never been stopped, is now 23-3-2(18).
Going into last night’s fight, Fierro said he wanted the expected slugfest to pay tribute to the epic Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales fight, which celebrates its 25th anniversary later this month. And last night’s war did its job.
Cruz, the younger man by five years at age 26 to his rival’s 31 years, came out like a man possessed, as is often his way. The war was on, and for now it was pretty much all Cruz. Not giving Fierro any room to breath, “Pitbull” was throwing, and landing, some hellish shots. The third round was super-special, with the final minute being as violent as can be. Fierro opted to stand and fight hard now, and he landed a big right hand to Cruz’s iron chin that briefly wobbled the younger man. The crowd was now in the early stages of going crazy.
By round six, it seemed we were watching an even fight, the two having had large moments of success as they racked up the power punch stats. Cruz’s punches had a more spectacular look to them, however, a more eye-catching look. But Fierro was right there at all times, exchanging, and landing, shots. Round nine was excellent, while the 10th and final round may well have been Round of the Year stuff.
Both warriors gave their all, the back-and-forth warfare proving mesmerising. It was yet another close round of action, too. Who had got the better of it? While a good case could be made that last night’s fight was a one or two point fight at best, in the end two of the three judges had it pretty wide for “Pitbull.”
With his win, Cruz – one of the most consistently thrilling fighters operating today – picked up the newly minted WBC “Aztec Warrior” belt. The family of the recently deceased Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez was on hand to catch the action. Again, it would be great to see Cruz and Fierro do it again, but Cruz may have bigger fights in mind. For fans of punch-stats, last night’s numbers read: Of the 624 punches Cruz let loose with, 248 of them landed. Of the 786 Fierro threw, 238 of them got home.
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