Isaac Cruz stops Rolando Romero; Erislandy Lara and Julio Cesar Martinez shine in wins

LAS VEGAS — Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz set the tone early Saturday night time at T-Cell Enviornment, with wild overhand rights that whistled by the top of Rolando “Rolly” Romero.

Then Cruz placed on a masterclass in stalking and slicing off the ring in opposition to Romero.

Lastly, Cruz accomplished his beatdown of Romero with no less than six straight photographs to the top, forcing referee Tom Taylor to cease the battle at 56 seconds of the eighth spherical. With the win, Cruz took Romero’s WBA junior welterweight world title on the co-main occasion of a card headlined by a junior middleweight title battle between Tim Tszyu and Sebastian Fundora.

“I did not wish to come right here and simply win,” stated Cruz. “I needed to bloodbath Rolly and make him eat all the rubbish he stated to me. …I fought with the intention to depart the choice out of the judges’ fingers.”

Mission completed.

The relentless Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs), of Mexico Metropolis, so dominated the battle that Romero needed to be checked by the ringside physician earlier than heading out for the fateful eighth spherical. Romero nearly went down within the first spherical after taking a left hook to the brow, was docked some extent for holding within the fifth and was once more saved by the ropes within the seventh after taking an enormous proper uppercut to the chin that primarily had him out on his toes.

Cruz has now gained 4 straight fights since shedding a unanimous choice to Gervonta Davis on Dec. 5, 2021 in Los Angeles.

“I used to be ready for this. I wasn’t right here to only battle. I used to be right here to terminate him,” stated Cruz. “I did my speaking proper right here within the ring. And I did this not only for me however for everyone that’s right here at T-Cell Enviornment. There’s going to be a Mexican champ at 140 kilos for a very long time.”

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

He misplaced by a sixth-round TKO in opposition to Davis on Might 28, 2022 in Brooklyn for the WBA’s light-weight title earlier than stopping Ismael Barroso for the WBA’s junior welterweight title on Might 13, 2023 in Las Vegas. He by no means regarded snug with the way in which Cruz reduce the ring off on him, whereas absorbing so many energy photographs.

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Lara does fast work of Zefara; nonetheless champion

The gang booed on the relative lack of motion. It whistled derisively.

Then it shrieked in appreciation.

Such was the response to Erislandy Lara’s fast 1-2 mixture knockout of Michael Zerafa at 2:59 of the second spherical to defend his WBA middleweight title.

With the clock winding down within the spherical, the left-handed Lara related with a proper jab to Zerafa’s jaw earlier than unleashing a straight left to the identical spot on the Australian.

Zerafa’s head bounced off the underside ring rope, and whereas he rose earlier than the depend of 10, he negatively shook his head at referee Allen Huggins, who waved off the battle with a second to go within the spherical.

Lara (30-3-3, 18 KOs), from Guantanamo, Cuba and making his second title protection, has scored 4 stoppage victories in his final 5 fights. Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs), from Melbourne, suffered his first defeat since December 2019.

“Rust? What rust? I’ve labored my f—ing ass off in coaching as a result of I do know that every one of those fighters are coming for my title,” Lara stated after the battle. “By staying prepared, you do not have to prepare.

“I’ve at all times stated that I solely want one or two rounds to measurement my opponent up, and I knew I had him from the very first spherical. That left hand shot was only a matter of time.”

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“Rey” Martinez edges Cordova to retain WBC title

A recreation of chase grew to become a recreation of catch — and survival — for Julio Cesar Martinez because the WBC flyweight champion twice knocked down challenger Angelino Cordova with left hooks within the first minute of the third spherical.

Martinez (21-3-1 NC, 15 KOs), of Mexico Metropolis, then had Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs), from Caracas, Venezuela, wobbly within the fifth spherical with one other swift left hook earlier than settling in for a majority choice (113-113, 114-112, 114-112) to efficiently defend his belt, and provides Cordova his first defeat.

However not with out enduring a pair of gnarly-looking cuts, one to the facet of his proper eye within the eighth spherical and diagonally by way of his left eyebrow after an incidental headbutt with 23 seconds to go within the tenth spherical.

Cordova tried to set the tone within the first two rounds earlier than Martinez went on the offensive along with his pursuit. With a pro-Mexico crowd chanting the identify of his dwelling nation, Martinez responded with a straight proper to his opponent’s face, gorgeous Cordova 35 seconds into the seventh spherical.

Essentially the most entertaining spherical was the eighth, the 2 112-pounders going toe-to-toe with haymakers in the midst of the ring. It was additionally when, with Martinez bleeding closely from the reduce on his proper eye, Cordova was clowning and connecting, with a combo of a Sugar Ray Leonard windup punch and an Ali shuffle, regardless of having already been knocked down quite a few occasions.