Gervonta "Tank" Davis had to overcome adversity Sunday night with an injured left hand and an opponent who simply wouldn't go away. He defeated Isaac Cruz by a close unanimous decision to retain his WBA (Regular) lightweight championship at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Showtime PPV.
Cruz, who stepped in after Rolando Romero was pulled because of sexual assault allegations, was a little-known fighter who was expected to be finished by Davis. Instead, he gave "Tank" all he could handle with nonstop pressure, a sturdy chin and a style that refused to allow Davis the room to uncork his incredible power. The scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 were an accurate reflection of a tougher-than-expected fight that will certainly raise Cruz's stock.
As for the future, Davis was asked if he'd be interested in lightweight champions Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr. or social media superstar Ryan Garcia.
"All those guys are easy work," Davis said. "I'm the top dog."
On this night, he wasn't quite the top dog, but he still proved he's one of the best fighters in the world and someone who can box as well as punch. Not to mention, it was clear that Davis had an issue with his left hand. He aggravated the injury in the sixth round, which rendered him a one-armed fighter for the second half. Coincidentally, that's when Cruz (22-2-1) did his best work and clawed his way back into the fight.
The knockout streak ended at 16 for Davis (26-0, 24 KOs). We will see what his next move will be.
Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from the Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz fight and the entire main card. Here's how it all went down:
Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz live fight updates, highlights
(All times Eastern)
Gervonta Davis def. Isaac Cruz via unanimous decision. Scores were 116-112, 115-113, 115-113.
Round 12 (12:15 a.m.): There's a scenario that this fight is up for grabs if you give Cruz the close rounds. Cruz keeps coming and Tank seems a little flustered. Hand injury seems to be in play. Tank using the jab and Cruz is just bulling forward. Tank slips a few punches and slips to the canvas. Tank boxing well in the final round. Cruz gives chase but Tank slips away from the last series of punches. No knockout and we're going to the scorecards. 10-9, Cruz (116-112, Davis)
Round 11 (12:11 a.m.): Cruz rips Davis with a right to the body. Another right to the body lands by Cruz. Right up top by Cruz. Cruz jabs. Tank fires and misses. Cruz with body shots and hooks. Tank looking for a big shot but Cruz just isn't giving it to him. Cruz overhand right lands. 10-9, Cruz (107-102, Davis)
Round 10 (12:07 a.m.): Cruz swarms Tank immediately and lands some hard right hands. Another from Cruz. Hook to the body by Davis. They are exchanging. Cruz ain't going anywhere. Big combination by Cruz. Cruz landing some big shots. Cruz to the body. Great round by Cruz. 10-9, Cruz (98-92, Davis)
Round 9 (12:03 a.m.): For the first time, it's Tank who is moving forward to open the round. Cruz backs him off with a right hand. Tank counters with a sweeping left hook. Tank starting to pick Cruz apart in this round. Tank is popping Cruz with a variety of shots. Lead left hand by Tank. Right hook by Tank, Cruz fires back. 10-9, Davis (89-82, Davis)
Round 8 (11:59 p.m.): Round starts and Cruz has yet to not come forward as soon as the bell rings. Tank lands a hard left hand. The activity is picking up. Tank is feeling it. Big combination. Cruz has slowed down a bit and he's struggling to find his mark. Cruz then lands a pair of right hooks. Uppercut by Cruz lands. Closes strong but still a Tank round. 10-9, Davis (79-73, Davis)
Round 7 (11:55 p.m.): Cruz bulling forward again. Tank lands a left uppercut and a trio of left hands. But Cruz's pressure allows him to land some hard body shots. Hard right to the body by Tank. A hard hook by Tank. Tank is getting more aggressive but Cruz won't go away. Tank with a right and left. He's settled into a nasty rhythm. 10-9, Davis (69-64, Davis)
Round 6 (11:51 p.m.): Hard right hand by Tank lands over the top. Cruz with a right and left hand that nails Tank. Cruz busy on the inside but now Tank lands a right hook. The timing is excellent. Tank with another left uppercut after framing Cruz with the right hand. Curz is working hard by Tank's landing the cleaner shots. 10-9, Davis (59-55, Davis)
Round 5 (11:47 p.m.): Tank lands a lead left hand and follows with a straight left. Feels like Tank has found a new weapon. Cruz with a right hand. He won't go away. Right uppercut by Cruz lands. Tank pops Cruz with another straight left. Right hand by Cruz lands. Tank opening up more. Hard left hand backs Cruz up. 10-9, Davis (49-46, Davis)
Round 4 (11:43 p.m.): Cruz keeps pressing forward. Lands to the body and a hard jab. Right hook by Cruz. Tank lands a left uppercut and Cruz takes it well but eats a few combinations before the round closes. 10-9, Davis (39-37, Davis)
Round 3 (11:39 p.m.): Tank appears to have Cruz's advances timed. Cruz isn't really differentiating his advances. Gonna be easy for Tank to pick him off soon. Tank with a body combination. Left uppercut. Cruz closes the gap and grabs him. Davis with another combination. And another. He's easily timing Cruz now. May only be a matter of time. 10-9, Davis (29-28, Davis)
Round 2 (11:35 p.m.): Cruz buries his head in Tank's chest and pushes him into the ropes. Davis barely misses a life-altering uppercut. A short left uppercut lands and follows with a right hand. A Tank uppercut lands flush. Cruz takes that one well but he can't take too many of those. Cruz digs to the body with a pair of hooks. Left hand by Tank lands to close the round. 10-9, Davis (19-19)
Round 1 (11:31 p.m.): Cruz comes straight at Tank and lands a left hand. He's already closed the distance and busy throwing punches. Lots of pressure. They exchange hooks. Cruz is ultra-aggressive. Big looping shots. Davis looking for an opening but Cruz is making him uncomfortable. Cruz gets cracked with an uppercut and lands a right hand that stuns Tank. Tank nearly lands a right hand to close the rounds but it's ruled a slip when Cruz stumbles over Tank's feet. 10-9, Cruz
11:22 p.m.: Tank and Cruz have made their way to the ring. Hip Hop artist Lil Durk walked Davis to the ring to a rousing ovation. He's certainly the favorite with this crowd.
11:13 p.m.: Main event time. National anthems have been sung. It's time for Tank Davis and Isaac Cruz.
Sebastian Fundora def. Sergio Garcia via unanimous decision. Scores were 115-113, 117-111, 118-110.
10:50 p.m.: After a fast start, Fundora-Garcia has slowed to a crawl. It's the 10th round and the fight just hasn't hit that gear that we anticipated. Fundora is certainly winning but the fight has lacked excitement throughout. This won't get Fundora over with fans.
10:28 p.m.: The fight is exactly what you'd expect after four rounds. Fundora just throwing punches and bunches and negating his own height advantage while Garcia tries to bully his way inside with the knowledge that he can't stand outside and box. It's been close through as Garcia has landed some big overhands in the fourth round that opened a cut on Fundora.
10:08 p.m.: The co-main event is up next as 6-5 junior middleweight Sebastian Fundora (17-0-1, 12 KOs) is back in action against Sergio Garcia. Fundora is looking for his fourth consecutive knockout after finishing Jorge Cota in the fourth round back in May. Garcia is unbeaten with a record of 33-0 with 14 KOs. But he's never faced anything like Fundora.
Carlos Adames def. Sergey Derevyanchenko via majority decision. Scores were 97-93, 96-94, 95-95.
9:51 p.m.: An all-action fight between Derevyanchenko and Adames heads to the scorecards. It certainly looks as if Adames will edge this one out but it was a great showing by both fighters.
9:43 p.m.: Derevyanchenko has pulled back into a close fight as we enter the final two rounds. Both fighters are winging big power shots and landing. Neither has really backed off and it'll be interesting to see how the judges score it. Feels like Adames should be ahead but Derevyanchenko continues to come forward and land big punches. Heck of a fight.
9:27 p.m.: The fight between Adames and Derevyanchenko has picked up pretty quickly through four rounds. After a tedious first round, Adames buzzed Derevyanchenko in the second frame and they both exchanged heavy leather. Adames has done well for himself by using angles to land his big power punches. Derevyanchenko is certainly in the fight and has landed some combinations of his own.
9:08 p.m.: Up next is an important middleweight title between Carlos Adames and Sergiy Derevyanchenko. This will certainly be Adames' most difficult test to date as Derevyanchenko has been in the ring with the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs and Jermall Charlo.
9 p.m.: It was a pretty one-sided outing by Eduardo Ramirez, who dominated Miguel Marriaga from the outside. After a slow first round, Ramirez outworked his opponent and dropped him with a chopping left hand in the third round to take the fight easily with scores of 99-90, 99-90 and 99-90.
8:15 p.m.: We're kicking things off with a featherweight bout between Eduardo Ramirez and Miguel Marriaga. Ramirez is looking to collect his fourth consecutive victory while Marriaga is coming off of a TKO victory over Jorge Jimenez after losing a decision to Joet Gonzalez.
Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz start time
- Main card: 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT
- Main event (approx.): 11 p.m. ET | 8 p.m. PT
The main card is set to get underway at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) with the main event scheduled for approximately 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT). These timings are subject to change depending on the length of the undercard fights.
How to watch Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz
- U.S.: Showtime PPV ($74.99)
- UK: Fite
The fight will be broadcast on Showtime PPV for $74.99 in the U.S. International rights have been picked up by streaming service Fite, which is how fans in the UK can order the show.
Gervonta Davis vs. Isaac Cruz fight card
- Gervonta "Tank" Davis def. Isaac Cruz via unanimous decision (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) to retain WBA (Regular) lightweight championship.
- Sebastian Fundora def. Sergio Garcia via unanimous decision (115-113, 117-111, 118-110)
- Carlos Adames def. Sergiy Derevyanchenko via majority decision (97-93, 96-94, 95-95)
- Eduardo Ramirez def. Miguel Marriaga via unanimous decision (99-90, 99-90, 99-90)