Isaac Cruz turned the squared circle into a masterclass of smackdown, grabbing the WBA Super Lightweight World Championship from Rolando Romero with a brutal eighth-round TKO. ” I won this one for the fans back in Mexico,” Cruz c remarked, hinting at a reign of Mexican might in the 140-pound division that’s not ending anytime soon, if he has any say.
Romero tried to talk a big game before the bell, but once in the ring, it was all Cruz, all the time. A slick left hook from Cruz had Romero doing the two-step shuffle early on, and from there, it was like watching a cat toy with a particularly unlucky mouse. Despite Romero’s best attempts at a tango, his excessive clinching got him a slap on the wrist and a point docked, not that it mattered much against Cruz’s onslaught.
Cruz, ever the showman, declared post-fight, “I didn’t just come here to throw hands; I’ve got a shiny new belt that says I’m the boss. Anyone feeling froggy, leap!” You could almost see the smirk through his bruises, the man’s ready for more.
The undercard
Erislandy Lara, in a display that was more grace than grit, sent Michael Zerafa packing in round two, proving that sometimes, the pen—or in this case, the left hook—is mightier than the sword.
Julio Cesar Martinez and Angelino Cordova turned their bout into a proper scrap, a real phone booth fight, with Martinez just nicking it by a hair. It was the kind of tussle that had the crowd leaning in, squinting to catch every punch, and maybe offering a silent prayer to the boxing gods.
And let’s not forget the opener, with Curmel Moton playing it cool and calculated against Anthony Cuba, turning what could’ve been a brawl into a strategic masterstroke, and cruising to victory on the judges’ cards.
