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Ryan Garcia was pleased with Isaac Cruz’s return to the win column but could not have been more disappointed in his post-fight comments.
A hoped-for lightweight battle between the pair of top contenders hit a wall earlier this year and doesn’t appear to have gained momentum even after both posted wins one week apart. Garcia ended a 15-month ring break with a twelve-round, unanimous decision win over Ghana’s Emmanuel Tagoe (32-2, 15KOs) on April 9 in San Antonio, while Cruz picked up a fifth-round stoppage of faded former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa (30-5, 18KOs).
Cruz—nicknamed ‘Pitbull’—scored three knockdowns before referee Mark Calo-oy mercifully stopped the mismatch that served as a Showtime Pay-Per-View chief support Saturday evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Afterward, Cruz—who prior to the fight referred to Garcia as a ‘poodle’ and seemed receptive to the idea of such a fight happening next, instead reversed course and insisted the unbeaten Californian needs to wait his turn.
“I absolutely understand he wants to continue his momentum and build his career,” Garcia sympathized after watching the fight and hearing Cruz’s comments. “But if he thinks I need him, he’s delusional or his team. I’ve made great money and I’m extremely happy, this is what a lot of fans wanted!
“I don’t know what to say, Isaac Cruz other [than] I’m ready now, we have a big fight at hand. I guess all bark no bite?
Cruz (23-2-1, 16KOs) was Garcia’s first choice of opponent for his planned April ring return, though talks broke down over the platform on which to air the fight. Garcia (22-0, 18KOs) is a main-event fighter on DAZN and a legitimate gate attraction. Cruz has regularly fought on Showtime platforms, though normally as an undercard fighter save for when he replaced Rolando Romero (14-0, 12KOs) on five weeks’ notice to face Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (26-0, 24KOs) atop a December 5 Showtime Pay-Per-View event from Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.
Cruz dropped a narrow decision to Davis, ending his eighteen-fight unbeaten streak though returning with a win over the 40-year-old Gamboa in a complete mismatch. He remains the most viable next option for Garcia given that the division’s top fighters are all tied up through the first half of the year.
“#GarciaCruz at Crypto(.com Arena) or better known as Staples Center in L.A. would be fire I’m ready for it in July,” insists Garcia, who hopes to fight at least three times in 2022. “The fans, you guys can make this happen! Just push it and we will have our hands flying!”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox