Lamont Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) complained of “another robbery” after battling to a questionable 12-round majority draw against WBC interim light welterweight champion Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) on Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Cruz disrupted Roach’s game plan right off the bat by hunting him down, forcing him into a non-stop war from round one. In the second, Roach was knocked down by a right from ‘Pitbull’ that caused him to fall off balance and touch the canvas.
Pitbull Cruz Starts Fast
Early on, Roach’s jabs were no match for the power shots from Cruz, who wasn’t going to be held back. In the second half of the contest, the fight changed hands as Roach grew more comfortable, settling into his volume-punching game plan.
Point Deduction Drama
Cruz looked ragged from rounds seven through twelve. In the seventh, he was docked a point for a low blow. That point ultimately cost him the victory. In the 11th and 12th, the crowd favored ‘Pitbull,’ cheering for him and giving him the energy to get his second wind.
The scores were 113-113, 113-113, and 115-111 for Cruz.
Should There Be a Rematch?
Roach has a good argument that the judges had given him a bad deal. However, it was hard to ignore the solid start that ‘Pitbull’ Cruz had in the first six rounds to pile up a wide lead with the power shots and the pressure that he was putting on Roach,
“I think the ref was showing favoritism!”- Pitbull Cruz
It’s still too early to know if there will be a rematch. For Roach, he’d be better off moving on if he can get a bigger fight against Shakur Stevenson at lightweight. It’s not the ideal position that Roach had hoped to be in. For Shakur, it’s not worth it for him to fight Roach because he has not won a fight since 2024. There are better options for him.
