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Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz is licking the wounds of the narrow loss that cost him his title by taking his family to a Southern California theme park on Tuesday, mulling how he lost to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela, and resolving how to revive his magnetic persona immediately.
The popular Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) was outboxed by his fellow Mexican and failed to duplicate his vicious offensive attack that won him the WBA 140lbs belt in June against Rolando Romero.
Not only did Cruz lose his title, he squandered a highly possible December rematch with the unbeaten lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, who Cruz went the distance with as a replacement opponent in December 2021.
He has the right to invoke a rematch clause with Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs), and judging by a conversation with Cruz’s advisor Sean Gibbons, it appears that that’s what he’ll do.
Gibbons was somewhat kicking himself for deciding to go ahead with the short-turnaround bout with Valenzuela and then seeing his fighter lose a split-decision by scores of 116-112, 113-115, 116-112.
A year after surviving a split-decision win over the tall, left-handed Giovanni Cabrera, Cruz was defeated by another tall lefty. Gibbons vowed no more opponents of that style for Cruz, and argued that the more diminutive Davis is a better style match-up.
Gibbons, of course biased, also argued against the scoring of the judges Pat Russell and Rudy Barragan, who awarded Valenzuela the scores of eight rounds to four.
“Worse-case scenario, it’s a draw because [Cruz] won four of the first five and he won at least two more [rounds] after that,” Gibbons said. “There’s no way that fight was anything worse than a draw. It was a win. I’m not saying it was an outright robbery, but [the judges] liked that keep-those-moving hands.”
While Valenzuela takes Cruz’s belt, he doesn’t swipe his popularity among fans who bought up hundreds of off-market “Pitbull” t-shirts being hawked by vendors on the LA streets before Saturday night’s debut Riyadh Season card at BMO Stadium.
Gibbons and Cruz will strategize over their next move. Gibbons conceded Davis has a date awaiting him in November.
“Pitbull is looking to return back to the ring quickly, reviewing first the rematch with Valenzuela,” Gibbons said. “As most of the fans who were booing the scoring believe he won, so does he.
“Pitbull lost none of who he is. We put him back in there with a guy who wants to throw down Mexican style. He’s back … one thing I learned, we can’t fight 5ft10 guys.”