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Ryan Garcia confirmed on Friday that he will fight Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in May in New York’s Times Square. Devin Haney vs. Jose Ramirez will also be on the card.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) said Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) is an opponent he has wanted to fight for a long time, but has never had the opportunity until now. Cruz is being brought in for a tune-up to prepare Ryan for a rematch against Devin Haney in October in Riyadh.
Battle of the Big Apple
Cruz is a former WBA light welterweight champion. He lost his title in his last fight to Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela by a split decision over 12 rounds on August 3rd.
“Yeah, in May. We’ll be fighting there. It’s going to be good. Another great fight. I’m ready to do it,” said Ryan Garcia KO Artist Sports about him fighting Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz in May in New York. “The pit bull is still a great fighter. He may have lost once (correction: 3 times), but the fans love him. He’s a great photon.
“There was a lot of people in London and they were all meeting Turki. It’s crazy. Times Square, yeah,” Ryan said of where he plans to fight in May. “Me and Pitbull were going to fight on many occasions. It never went down.
“I think this is a fight that the fans wanted for a long time until he (Pitbull Cruz) lost (to Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela on August 3). I don’t think it should make any difference. It’s still a explosive fighter. Rayo boxed a great fighter, so you can’t take anything away from him either,” 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 lost to Rayo last August because casual boxing fans won’t know, and die-hard fans won’t care. They just want to see Ryan Garcia in action against nobody. For most fans, Ryan could wrestle a cardboard prop and they’d be happy.
“We 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’m going to fight him (Devin Haney) again and beat him again. Then I can finally put it to rest and move on with my career. Maybe fight Teofimo. That’s how it’s going to go.”
There’s a good chance that Pitbull Cruz will lose to Angel Fierro next month on the David Benavidez vs. card. David Morrell Fierro is a big puncher, and he’s catching 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 fight May’s card. One good thing Garcia has going for him is Turki Al-Sheikh. He’ll probably give a top fighter a chance to fight Ryan, and they’ll take it.
