Lamont Roach Believes Isaac Cruz’s Tempered Boldness Could Backfire on Him
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Keith Idec
RingMagazine.com | 2 hours ago
Lamont Roach Believes Isaac Cruz’s Tempered Boldness Could Backfire on Him
Lamont Roach respects the heart Isaac Cruz has shown throughout his career.
Yet Roach argues that Cruz’s willingness to push forward and take bold risks will end up working against him this Saturday as Cruz defends his WBC interim super lightweight title. With a 28-3-1 record and 18 knockouts, Cruz fights with relentless aggression, while Roach, at 25-1-2 with 10 KOs, trusts his own ability to land clean, meaningful shots and secure a decisive victory.
“The edge I might have is that he’s a little too tough,” Roach told The Ring. “He’ll take big chances, walk into plenty of punches, and expose himself to danger. I’mPaying attention and prepared with solid defense and sharp timing. It all shows up in the right moments—the shots I land, the counterpunches after his misses, those are the opportunities I’ll capitalize on.”
Despite Cruz’s resilience and a chin that has withstood punishment, including 31 fights without a knockout defeat, his durability hasn’t dampened Roach’s confidence. Cruz’s power has rarely been a factor against him; Gervonta Davis landed heavy blows in their lightweight title clash four years ago without forcing a stoppage, and Rolando Romero and Jose Valenzuela also found Cruz difficult to hurt in their junior welterweight bouts.
Roach understands why some observers don’t view him as a power puncher. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native believes his own punching will surprise Cruz, even as Cruz remains exceptionally tough. The two fighters meet at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
“A lot of people probably underestimate it,” Roach said about his power. “And I don’t blame them. It’s not like I’m walking around knocking guys out. But I think it plays to my advantage. Opponents are willing to take more risks, and then they realize, ‘Oh, this guy has pop.’”
Cruz can hit, but Roach’s durable chin has carried him through an 11-year, 28-fight career as well. In their memorable clash, Davis didn’t stop Roach in a controversial majority draw at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Like Cruz, Roach has not been knocked out, and his only setback came in a 12-round unanimous decision to Jamel Herring in November 2019.
Victory is Roach’s primary objective. He knows that beating Cruz by stoppage would be a career-defining achievement, especially in his first appearance at 140 pounds.
“That would be a huge accomplishment,” Roach said. “It would stay with me for a long time because he’s a tough customer. We’re doing everything possible to secure the win. If the knockout or stoppage comes, I’ll take it without hesitation.”
DraftKings currently has Roach, 30, as a 2-1 favorite to defeat Cruz, 27, in their Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view main event. The bout headlines a four-fight card distributed by Amazon Prime Video (8 p.m. ET; $74.99).
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing
