LAS VEGAS — Lightweight fighter Isaac Cruz is lobbying for a shot at the division’s pay-per-view attraction Gervonta Davis.
Cruz, 25, came to blows with Giovanni Cabrera in the co-main event of a welterweight classic between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. — one in which ‘Bud’ won by ninth round knockout.
Earlier in the night, Cruz cruised past Cabrera to score a narrow decision on the scorecards that likely should have been wider.
Regardless, he still failed to make the kind of statement that warranted a rematch against Davis, who had beaten him by decision in 2021.
“When the opportunity comes,” he added, “I’ll be ready.”
Cabrera stopped short of calling for a shot at ‘Tank’ despite wanting as much in the days prior.
“I showed that I can go toe-to-toe with a feared puncher,” the 29-year-old said after his lost to Cruz. “I think I went even more toe-to-toe than Gervonta.”
At the MGM Grand earlier in the week, to ProBox TV and other reporters he said he wanted “to slay the beast” — meaning Davis.
Boxing management firm Premier Boxing Champions and its broadcast partner Showtime Sports thinks highly of Cruz, however, the fighter may well have to remain in the line to fight Davis as the box office star has other options.
One of those options is a rumored match against Chris Colbert — one that Showtime Sports boss Stephen Espinoza dismissed as premature when speaking to Fight Hype.
“Nothing has been determined,” Espinoza told the YouTube channel last week. “All bets and fights are available.”
He later added that Cruz, himself, was “an option,” pending a good performance against Cabrera. “I’d love to see that fight [Davis vs. Cruz] again.”
Espinoza finished by saying: “There are plenty of other guys who we could, and will, look at as well.”
Having already beaten Hector Luis Garcia and Ryan Garcia this year, Davis is expected to return to the ring for a third time in 2023 around November or December.
