Ryan Garcia confirmed Friday that he will fight Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in May in New York’s Times Square. Also on the card will be Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) said Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) is an opponent he’s wanted to fight for a long time, but never had the chance until now. Cruz is reportedly tuning in to prepare Ryan for a rematch against Devin Haney in October in Riyadh.
Big Apple Bout
Cruz is a former WBA lightweight champion. He lost his title in his last fight to Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela via a 12-round decision on August 3
“Yes, in May. We will fight there. It will be good. Another great match. I’m ready to do it,” Ryan Garcia said KO Artist Sports about the fight with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in May in New York. “Pitbull is still a great fighter. He may have lost once (correction: 3 times), but the fans love him. He’s a big f****.
“There were so many people in London and everyone was meeting Turki. They are nuts. Times Square, yes,” Ryan said of where he plans to fight in May. “Me and Pitbull were going to fight on many occasions. It never came down.
“I feel like this is a fight that the fans wanted for a long time until (Pitbull Cruz) lost (to Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela on Aug. 3). I don’t think it should make any difference. He’s still an explosive fighter. Rayo boxed a great fighter, so you can’t take anything away from him,” Garcia said.
For the record, Pitbull Cruz has lost three times as a pro to these fighters:
– Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela
– Gervonta Davis
– Luis Montana Alvarez
It doesn’t matter that Cruz is coming off a loss to Rayo last August, because casual boxing fans won’t know and die-hard fans won’t mind. They just want to see Ryan Garcia in action against anyone. For most fans, Ryan could wrestle a cardboard box and they’d be happy.
“We’ll have to find a replacement if he doesn’t win, but I’m sure he will,” Ryan said of Isaac Cruz’s fight against Angel Fierro on Feb. 1 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “When I win, I’ll fight him (Devin Haney) again, I’ll beat him again. Then I can finally put it to rest and get on with my career. Maybe you will fight with Teofimos. That’s how it will go.”
There’s a good chance Pitbull Cruz loses to Angel Fierro next month on the David Benavidez vs. David Morrell card. Fierro is a big puncher and catches Cruz after a loss to Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela.
If Curz is defeated, Ryan’s team will have to act quickly to find someone in a hurry to compete on May’s card. One good thing Garcia has is Turki Al-Sheikh. He’ll probably give a top-tier fighter a chance to fight Ryan, and they’ll do it.
