Tank Davis Wins By Unanimous Decision Against A Very Game Isaac Cruz

It was a rare site as Showtime rolled into Los Angeles, CA on a Sunday night to feature boxing star and WBA Lightweight Champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis (25-0). Davis overcame an injury mid-way into the fight and still beat Isaac Cruz (22-1-1) by unanimous decision at Staples Center in front of 15,000 plus. The judges had it 116-112,115-113 and 115-113 for the 27 year-old out of Baltimore, MD.

Who should Gervonta Davis fight next? Photo by: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

In the first round, it was high drama as Isaac Cruz was applying pressure to Gervonta Davis and consistently landing a looping left hook. This pressure was something we hadn’t seen from a Tank opponent, so everyone was on pins and needles in the arena. Davis landed his left uppercut but was on his back foot most of the first round.

Going into the second round, Davis used his legs to land a left jab from different angles while setting up the left uppercut. That uppercut landed a few times, and you can tell Cruz felt those shots. Isaac again landed that looping left hook while also working the body when Davis was against the ropes.

That looping left hook was there for Cruz all night. Photo by: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

In the third, Davis again used his legs to frustrate Cruz and landed one big power shot at a time. Cruz was taking them, but it seemed like his reaction time was getting slower and slower. Many thought the knockout would follow shortly after, but it didn’t.

The fourth round was upon us, and Cruz continued to concentrate on the body of Davis and created some excellent offense when they were in tight. Gervonta kept landing that left uppercut and would quickly get out of danger, avoiding any big shots from Cruz.

Once the fight reached the fifth round, Davis showed more of that next-level head movement and boxing IQ as he switched to the right uppercut to change the eye levels. Cruz, however, seemed to gain more confidence as the fight continued.

Photo by: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

The sixth round saw Isaac landing short right hands while Davis seemed to move closer with those big shots.

In the seventh round, that’s when Davis seemed to start pouring it on as he was sitting on his punches and landing some shots that probably would have knocked out any other lightweight not named Isaac Cruz. The Davis straight left, and the right hook were his money punches for this round. Cruz stayed committed to the body and landed a counter left hook, catching Davis’ attention.

Rounds eight and nine were more similar, but round ten was a big one for Isaac Cruz as the left hook to the body and the head landed, getting the crowd to its feet. Cruz made the fight a little closer with that round. Once Gervonta sat on his stool, that’s when it was identified that he had hurt his left hand. (During his post-fight interview, Gervonta said he hurt his hand in the sixth round.)

Isaac Cruz had a dedicated body attack tonight. Photo by: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

Isaac Cruz made things interesting in the eleventh and twelfth rounds as Davis was fighting with one hand and could not throw the left. The crowd stood up at the end of the fight as Isaac Cruz put up more of a fight than what most predicted throughout the week.

The Towering Inferno was a campfire in his decision victory

Sebastian Fundora (17-0-1) came into this fight with a solid buzz and, with the co-main slot, an opportunity to get his name out there. Sergio Garcia (33-0) didn’t get that memo and came in there tonight to steal all of the thunder.

The fight wasn’t exciting, though, and every round seemed to look the same. It was Fundora throwing wide shots on the outside while also scoring with big uppercuts. Garcia was bringing the pressure and threw a ton of overhand rights as Fundora’s hands were low enough for them to connect.

Those at the Staples Center didn’t seem too impressed with Fundora. Photos by: Esther Lin / SHOWTIME

Garcia’s power wasn’t strong enough to stun Fundora, but it damaged his nose. Garcia looked a little uncomfortable fighting an aggressive style and seemed to get frustrated at times. Although the fight sucked the air out of the room, a small pop was produced when Garcia landed a clean left hook in the twelfth.

This one went to the judges with the scores reading 115-113,117-110 and 118-110, all for the winner Sebastian Fundora. They should continue to build Sebastian and not rush a title fight for now.

Carlos Adames shines in Middleweight debut.

All week, this was the fight that most fans were buzzing over. Sergiy Derevyanchenko (13-3) started slowly while his opponent, Carlos Adames (20-1), came out aggressive and in the southpaw stance. Derevyanchenko, age 36, had a hard time adjusting at first, but in the second round, he could get inside and create some offense by landing some big left hooks to the body. Adames, age 27, caught Sergiy coming in with the left uppercut and would step aside and land a clean right check hook.

Is Carlos Adames a future Jermall Charlo opponent? Photo by: Sean Michael Ham / Mayweather Promotions

In the fourth, Adames was sizzling and landed two straight right hands down the middle, which stunned Derevyanchenko, but Sergiy kept coming. It seemed like in rounds six through eight, Adames appeared to fade a bit, and Sergiy started to land some big shots, but it just wasn’t enough. They were going back and forth in the ninth round, which brought the crowd to their feet. In the end, Carlos Adames won by majority decision with the scorecards reading 95-95, 97-93, and 96-94.

Ramirez dominates in a one-sided firefight!

This fight was a real treat to start off the PPV.Photo by: Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

The PPV card started with this Super Featherweight attraction between Eduardo Ramirez (25-2-3) and Miguel Marriaga (30-4). Marriaga began as the aggressor, but Ramirez was slowly processing the data. Ramirez caught Marriaga with a left hook to the head in the third round, which followed with a slip by Marriaga but was called a knockdown.

These two men continued to go toe to toe until the fifth round, when Ramirez started to pour it on. Although Marriaga stood tough and had moments, Ramirez’s effective aggression took over the fight. After ten complete rounds, all three judges saw this 99-90 for Eduardo Ramirez, who picks up the unanimous decision victory.

My Three Cents

Excerpt from Showtime post-fight press release

There is no question Gervonta Davis’ star power in and out of the ring. Whether purists want to debate who he should be fighting, it won’t matter if he keeps drawing these big crowds.

The stars were in the building, and although he didn’t get the knockout, everyone seemed pleased with the result. Gervonta Davis won a tough fight, and hopefully, the hand injury doesn’t keep him on the sidelines for too long.

You can follow me on Twitter @abeg718 and follow @NyFights on Instagram.