By: Hans Themistode
Gervonta Davis couldn’t wait to get his hands on Rolando “Rolly” Romero. The 135-pound contender spent the past several years poking and antagonizing Davis at no end. After reaching his breaking point, Davis agreed to squash their differences by squaring off in the ring.
Although the two were officially scheduled to throw down on December 5th, at Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California, Romero was removed from their contest altogether as numerous allegations of sexual assault have been filed. As Romero now turns his attention to the more serious matter, team Davis began the search for a new opponent.
With the opportunity to face the biggest name of his career, 135-pound contender Isaac Cruz happily signed his name on the dotted line. Since suffering defeat at the hands of journeymen Luis Miguel Montano in 2016, Cruz has put together one of the more impressive streaks in the division, winning 17 straight.
Earlier this year, Cruz had a career-best performance against former titlist Francisco Vargas. Cruz went on to easily outpoint his man, winning a wide unanimous decision. In spite of Cruz looking nearly unbeatable in his past 17 fights, he’s still considered a big-time underdog against Davis.
The 26-year-old Baltimore product recently pounded out the much larger Mario Barrios at 140 pounds to capture the WBA “Regular” title. For his matchup against Cruz, Davis has opted to defend his WBA “Regular” championship at 135 pounds.
Unlike Romero, Davis has no built up animosity towards his new opponent. In fact, he reveres him. However, when it’s all said and done, Davis is heading into their showdown with the mindset of not leaving it in the hands of the judges.
“I respect Isaac Cruz for stepping up and taking the fight, but everyone knows what I do,” said Davis. “I come in looking for the knockout and that’s exactly what I’m going to do in this fight. I’m back in Los Angeles where the stars shine and I’m going to light it up against Isaac Cruz at Staples Center on December 5.”
