This Saturday night in San Antonio, Texas, live on Amazon Prime PPV from the Frost Bank Center, Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz faces Lamont Roach Jr. The co-feature is an excellent matchup between O’Shaquie Foster and Stephen Fulton. Unfortunately, another intriguing bout was recently cancelled due to an adverse finding in a VADA drug test by Janibek Alimkhanuly. Which is disappointing for two reasons. One is how would Janibek fair against his toughest challenge on paper fighting Erislandy Lara. Two is yet another boxer popped dirty, and the boxing world assuming a minimal penalty will apply. Speaking of failed tests, Elijah Garcia’s opponent is off the card for the same reason.
Let’s begin with the main event, which pairs fighters who had major success against Gervonta Davis. Lamont Roach Jr is coming off a great showing many think he did enough to get his hand raised in a draw to Davis. Since his only loss to Jamel Herring in 2019, Lamont has rattled off 6 wins and his second draw on his resume. The Washington DC native now residing in Upper Marlboro, Maryland may not pack a big punch, but he does land with accuracy.
Pitbull Cruz is a fitting nickname for Isaac with all the pressure and intensity he brings with him to the ring. Sheer volume and the unique angles of punches from Cruz are a handful to deal with. Especially when he’s not fighting a foe who’s lankier or considered tall for 140. Pretty much everyone has a reach advantage on Cruz, but he’s got fairly quick feet to get inside. Looping overhand rights, powerful left hooks, and body punching come in waves. The biggest question is if Isaac Cruz can bait and/or force Lamont into a dog fight. Roach can win on the inside, but it would be smarter to pick and choose when to dual in the trenches.
Look for Lamont to come out firing his jab while using his legs to keep his distance in the early goings. Once he establishes the jab, Lamont will begin to find a range where he’s comfortable enough to follow up his jab with power punches. It won’t be easy to just stick and move; Roach will have to gain Pitbull’s respect in the first few frames. Once he finds his rhythm, we will see Roach’s counter punching ability.
Cruz must start fast from the opening bell. Hurting Lamont to make him tentative will keep him from measuring Isaac for counters. This boxing podcaster does believe Cruz wins rounds but by the halfway point Lamont Roach should be fully adjusted enough to score the cleaner lands. Lamont Roach can be found for –125 by decision. Cruz is available at +320 by decision and +530 by stoppage.
My Official Prediction is Lamont Roach Jr by Decision.
- Cruz must start fast
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Roach will adjust
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Roach to pull away late
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The co-headliner is going to be a battle of wits and skill. In spots this skill-fest could bore boxing fans who would rather watch a brawl. Some advice for those folks. Just keep watching because this fight will heat up. Both boxers have proven they will go toe-to-toe and bang it out for the crowd. They also have solid fundamentals which will make for a very entertaining style matchup. Neither man has all that much one-punch power, that said either combatant can land clean punches one at a time or in combination.
Stephen Fulton was on an impressive string of wins until he met Naoya Inoue. Try as he did to switch up the gameplan; nothing worked as Inoue showed his true greatness. Fulton appeared to be past his prime in a close fight against Carlos Castro. Only to deliver a flawless performance by beating Brandon Figueroa in the rematch. O’Shaquie Foster has steadily improved as a pro.
Losing twice in the span of 12 fights is a different route than most people that end up winning a belt. Foster didn’t take a loss for 12 straight fights with his best win being Rey Vargas.
In his last four bouts it has been nip and tuck, with 3 split decisions and one he was down on the cards yet scored a stoppage in the 12th round. A bad habit for O’Shaquie Foster is not always leaving everything in the ring. Not that he doesn’t try to win, it’s just he comes up a bit short following thru with what is working for him. This boxing lover doesn’t really see either man completely running away. At the end of the night, Fulton has more proven paths to victory. Fulton by decision is around +133 and Foster is +154 by decision. If you think Foster has a good chance to knock out Fulton, he’s +520 by stoppage.
My Official Prediction is Stephen Fulton by Decision.
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Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, The Grueling Truth Sports Network, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter
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