Tag Archives: Ismael Barroso

Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz Overpowers & Dethrones WBA Super Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero

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Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz has claimed his first major title…

The 25-year-old Mexican professional boxer (26-2-1, 18 KOs) overpowered and dethroned WBA super lightweight champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) after getting an eighth round referee’s stoppage on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Isaac "Pitbull" CruzCruz set the tone early, with wild overhand rights that whistled by the head of Romero.

Then Cruz put on a masterclass in stalking and cutting off the ring against Romero.

Finally, Cruz completed his beatdown of Romero with at least six straight shots to the head, forcing referee Tom Taylor to stop the fight at 56 seconds of the eighth round.

With the win, Cruz took Romero’s WBA junior welterweight world title on the co-main event of a card headlined by a junior middleweight title fight between Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora.

“I didn’t want to come here and just win,” said Cruz. “I wanted to massacre Rolly and make him eat all the garbage he said to me. …I fought with the intention to leave the decision out of the judges’ hands.”

Mission accomplished.

The relentless Cruz so dominated the fight that Romero had to be checked by the ringside doctor before heading out for the fateful eighth round. Romero almost went down in the first round after taking a left hook to the forehead, was docked a point for holding in the fifth and was again saved by the ropes in the seventh after taking a big right uppercut to the chin that essentially had him out on his feet.

Cruz has now won four straight fights since losing a unanimous decision to Gervonta Davis on December 5, 2021 in Los Angeles.

“I was prepared for this. I wasn’t here to just fight. I was here to terminate him,” said Cruz. “I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.”

The taller Romero, who fights out of Las Vegas but felt no home-ring advantage with a raucous pro-Mexico crowd, fell to 15-2 as he has now lost two of this last three fights.

He lost by a sixth-round TKO against Davis on May 28, 2022 in Brooklyn for the WBA’s lightweight title before stopping Ismael Barroso for the WBA’s junior welterweight title on May 13, 2023 in Las Vegas. He never looked comfortable with the way Cruz cut the ring off on him, while absorbing so many power shots.

Rolly Romero to Defend WBA 140-Pound Title Against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in March

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Rolly Romero is going on the defensive…

The 29-year-old Latino boxer has finalized a deal to defend his WBA 140-pound title against Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on March 30 in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.

Rolly RomeroRomero-Cruz will serve as the co-feature to Tim Tszyu–Keith Thurman, Premier Boxing Champions‘ first PPV as part of its new deal with Amazon‘s Prime Video.

The development comes after Ryan Garcia claimed Wednesday evening on social media that he was fighting Romero on April 20. On Thursday morning after ESPN broke the news of Romero-Cruz, Garcia posted on X that he was “informed the deal was finalizing and it would be announced in the coming days.”

“Obviously that was a lie,” Garcia wrote. “My patience has been tested the last few weeks. … I’ll be looking forward to announcing my next fight. I’m not going to say anything until it’s actually signed and delivered.”

Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) is one of the most outspoken fighters in boxing. He won the title in controversial fashion with a ninth-round TKO victory over Ismael Barroso in May. Barroso dropped Romero in Round 3 and didn’t appear to be in serious trouble when the referee stopped the bout.

Romero, who fights out of Las Vegas, suffered his lone professional defeat in May 2022, a sixth-round TKO defeat to Gervonta Davis.

Cruz (25-2, 17 KOs) will move up to 140 pounds for his first full-fledged title shot. He challenged Davis for a secondary lightweight title in December 2021 and dropped a tightly contested decision.

The Mexico City native has won three bouts since the loss, victories over Yuriorkis Gamboa (TKO 5), Eduardo Ramirez (KO 2) and Giovanni Cabrera (split decision). Cruz hasn’t competed since the win over Cabrera in July.

Rolly Romero to Fight Ismael Barroso for Vacant WBA Junior Welterweight Title

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Rolly Romero is still getting his shot at a title…

The 27-year-old half-Cuban American boxer will face off against Ismael Barroso for the WBA‘s vacant junior welterweight title on Saturday in Las Vegas, the organization has announced, after Alberto Puello was made champion in recess due to the adverse finding in his A-sample for the banned substance clomiphene.

Rolly RomeroPuello (21-0, 10 KOs) was set to defend his title vs. Romero on Saturday but was pulled out of the fight last month after the failed test.

The 28-year-old Dominican’s status as champion will be determined following a May 17 hearing with the Nevada commission, the WBA said. The organization will also wait to see if the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association returns a negative result for Puello’s B-sample.

It’s possible the winner of Saturday’s PBC on Showtime main event will have to face Puello next pending the WBA’s decision. Puello’s Dominican Republic-based promoter, Belgica Pena, told BoxingScene last month that Puello was taking the fertility drug clomiphene for its intended use, not as a performance-enhancing drug.

“Your wife is in the DR, right? So, what do you need to take fertility drugs for?” Romero posed during an interview with ESPN on Tuesday. “On top of that you pass one drug test, one with blood, and one with urine and two weeks later you fail a drug test and then you pass the other one?

“It don’t make sense why you’re taking fertility drugs if your wife’s not here. I don’t know about him — maybe that’s why his legs look a little weak sometimes — but I stop like a month before.

“How do I feel? Disgusted with anyone that does any of that s— in boxing. I think [PED testing] should be more regulated.”

Romero, from Las Vegas, is coming off a TKO loss to Gervonta Davis last May at 135 pounds. Romero (14-1, 12 KOs) will fight for a title in his 140-pound debut.

“I’m Rolly, I get special Rolly privileges,” Romero said. ” … Sorry that I’m getting a title shot … but also I’m by far one of the most entertaining boxers in the sport. You don’t wanna give me title shots, don’t watch my fights.”

Barroso (24-3-2, 22 KOs), a 40-year-old Venezuelan, is a 9-1 underdog.