Dylan Trevino / Premier Boxing ChampionsConsidering the plight of Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Mexico’s Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz believes he is the ideal opponent for the legally embattled former three-division to come back against.
As Davis, 30-0-1 (28KOS), is out on bail in Florida for alleged crimes of battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping a woman he previously was in a relationship with, a schedule opening may allow him to fight in the first half of 2026.
While Davis seemed to shy from a rematch with Lamont Roach Jnr, who fought him to a disputed draw in Davis’ most recent bout in March, and likely won’t jump right into a date with four-division champion Shakur Stevenson, a rematch with the all-action Cruz, 28-3-2 (18KOs), could be the perfect assignment.
Davis defeated then-replacement-opponent Cruz via a narrow unanimous decision in late 2021.
“Pitbull” has been sitting back very patiently watching everybody get fights and get ready for the new year,” Cruz’s advisor Sean Gibbons told BoxingScene. “He called me and has put together a little hit-list of three guys. At the top of the list is Gervonta Davis
“It marks unfinished business for ‘Pitbull’, and Gervonta has lots of unfinished business. I think that can come together in this timeframe. Gervonta beat him already; is backed in a corner; doesn’t want to fight Shakur or Roach. He needs a guy who’ll bring him money.”
Cruz’s “hit-list” also includes Ryan Garcia and Stevenson, but with Garcia fighting for Mario Barrios’ WBC welterweight belt on February 21 in Las Vegas, and Stevenson just done with a unanimous decision over Teofimo Lopez to win the WBO 140lbs belt, that would likely require a longer wait.
Still, Gibbons worked to make the case for either.
“He’s been chasing this fool for many years, and he would love one Ryan Garcia,” Gibbons said. “[Cruz] has no problem moving up to 147 with no hydration, no clauses. He’s a real man. He’s a real dog, a real ‘Pitbull’.”
Cruz defeated WBA welterweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero by TKO in 2024, and Romero turned around to defeat Garcia in 2025.
“If you look what Rolly Romerio did to Ryan, look at what ‘Pitbull’ did to Rolly – he would actually maul Ryan Garcia,” Gibbons said.
Cruz would also pursue Stevenson.
“He’s been talking ‘Pitbull’s name everywhere, [about] ‘What an easy night it’d be’,” he said. "‘What an easy fight it’d be.’ That Cruz is a chump.
“‘Pitbull’, where he’s at in his career, he wants the biggest, best fights that the fans can see. Maybe the fans don’t want to see Shakur, but it is a big fight.”
Why not have a rematch with Roach after their draw in December in Texas?
“It’s all about what the people want to see, and if it’s a rematch, the fans want to see Gervonta Davis,” Gibbons said. “Lamont Roach is a lovely guy, but if it wasn’t for the referee and his nonsense taking a point away [from Cruz], then we win the fight.
“It was a fun fight, but the fight’s not in demand. The only people yelling for the rematch are [ProBox TV owner and Roach’s promoter] Garry Jonas, Lamont Roach, and his dad. Three great guys who do a tremendous job.
“They deserve rematches with Gervonta and ‘Pitbull’ in a perfect world, but we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world where we have to sell tickets and pay-per-views and have to do business.”
Gibbons said Romero also makes sense, but he appears headed to a bout with England’s Conor Benn.
“‘Pitbull’ earned the right for that signature fight,” he said. “The big, big one that captivates audiences, and with Gervonta or Ryan, he would capture that. The guy’s itching to do something in a big way.”
