PBC on Prime Video results, highlights: Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz batters Rolando Romero to earn WBA title

Rolando “Rolly” Romero entered his bout with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz on Saturday evening seen by many because the weakest world champion in boxing. Cruz took benefit of Romero’s technical deficiencies to attain a TKO in Spherical 8 of their bout on the undercard of Tim Tszyu vs. Sebastian Fundora to win the WBA junior welterweight championship.

It did not take lengthy for Cruz to interrupt by means of the protection of Romero, cracking with a heavy left hook to the temple within the opening spherical that despatched Romero stumbling across the ring on rubber legs. In some way, Romero managed to not solely survive the body however handle to keep away from a knockdown.

Cruz continued to navigate his top drawback by slipping inside Romero’s looping photographs to attain with energy punches to each the pinnacle and physique. When Romero managed to land punches, he was rapidly met by exhausting counters from Cruz, who refused to be saved on the skin of Romero’s attain.

Romero tried to stifle Cruz’s fixed ahead momentum by circling across the perimeter of the ring in addition to holding when Cruz successfully closed the gap. That strategy value Romero in Spherical 5, when his repeated holding led to a degree deduction after a number of warnings.

Romero was once more badly harm within the seventh spherical. Once more, he managed to outlive the spherical and stay on his ft, but it surely was clear that the combat was rapidly getting away from him as a result of he couldn’t harm Cruz, nor may he hold the shorter man at bay.

Cruz didn’t cease the onslaught within the following spherical. After the ringside doctor had given Romero a verify and stated the combat was very near over, Cruz continued to pour on the assault and after a giant flurry took Romero’s legs once more, the referee jumped in to cease the combat on the 0:56 mark of Spherical 8.

Cruz has been in search of a rematch with Gervonta “Tank” Davis after dropping a aggressive combat in December 2021. With a victory that cements Cruz as a world champion for the primary time in his profession, that dream rematch is nearer than ever.

Romero was making the primary protection of his title, which he gained in controversial vogue after being knocked down by Ismael Barroso in Could 2023 earlier than a really quick referee stoppage in Spherical 9 of the combat. That combat got here one bout after being knocked out by Gervonta Davis of their highly-anticipated 2022 bout.