Lamont Roach seemed surprised to learn that fans were viewing his fight against WBC interim welterweight champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz as a 50-50 fight on December 6 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Roach (25-1-2, 10 KO) is underrated after a 12-round draw with Gervonta Davis earlier this year. Fans were not impressed with the lack of power he showed. It wasn’t the gold standard of performance quality that most US fans enjoy seeing. It’s no wonder that many people favor the victory of WBC interim 140-pound champion “Pitbull” Cruz (28-3-1, 18 KO).
Roach responds to doubters
“If people see it as a 50-50 fight, that’s fine. I don’t want to hear any.” excuses when I give a masterful performanceLamont Roach said Fightreacting to news that fans believe his fight against WBC interim welterweight champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz is a 50-50 fight on December 6.
Shakur 2.0 without the bite
What does Roach expect? He cannot punch, and his fighting style resembles a slower version of Shakur Stevenson. He is Shakur 2.0. Why would fans expect Roach to defeat a high-powered offensive dynamo like Pitbull Cruz in this fashion?
Lamont’s lack of power and defensive mindset doesn’t translate to the 140 or even 135-pound division against the Wolves.
Understandably, many fans believe that “Pitbull” Cruz will win because they have watched Roach fight against Gervonta Davis, Jamel Herring and Hector Luis Garcia. Some believe Roach lost all three fights. I made him lose all three too.
When you consider Roach’s performances in these three fights, which are easily the best fighters he has fought during his 11-year professional career, it is reasonable to favor Cruz to defeat him. It has better attack, power and efficiency.
Pitbull is also a better inside fighter, which is essential because Roach often uses wrestling in this area. With Cruz’s miniature arms, he will utilize Roach’s attempts to fight from the inside.
“He did well against Tank, and I did well against Tank. But I think style breeds fight, and I think mine and Pitbull’s style will clash on December 6. We’ve got some large stars here. I won’t lie, but one of them is me,” Roach said, responding to people saying he’s “one of the biggest stars in America.”
Roach’s inflated “star” theorem.
Roach is not one of ““stars” in the U.S. He was a complete unknown before Gervonta “Tank” Davis threw him a bone, picking him out of the obscurity of the super featherweight division and giving him a shot at the 135 world title. He’s just a guy who was given a world title shot he didn’t deserve. Roach should have fought No. 1 Floyd Schofield to earn a title shot against Tank Davis.
Their March 1 fight ended in a 12-round draw, and Roach still brings it up, making it seem like he was the victim rather than not doing enough to get the win. If he had some pop in his punches, the referee would have given him the win.
There was no electricity at all. The only thing that mattered to Roach in the fight was size and the fact that he was constantly getting forward and throwing punches with his arms.
Real stars of American boxing
Terence Crawford Jake Paul Gervonta Davis Devin Haney Shakur Stevenson David Benavidez Jaron Ennis Klaressa Shields Ryan Garcia Teofimo Lopez Jesse Rodriguez Keyshawn Davis Vergil Ortiz Jr. Alicja Baumgardner Stephen Fulton Jaron “Boots” Ennis
Nation Vegas has been writing about fighting games since 2012 and is currently a featured writer Boxing News 24. Over the years, it has built a reputation for extensive coverage of both major events and emerging prospects, delivering news, fight reports and features that connect with fans around the world.
With over a decade of experience, Nation combines insightful analysis with an accessible style, making his work a trusted source for readers who want to follow sports from every angle. His consistency and passion for boxing have made him a respected voice on the site.
Terence Crawford believes one man will follow in his footsteps and retire as an unbeaten world champion, essentially becoming a generational great in the process.
‘Bud’ became not only a world champion but a three-division undisputed king, ending his career with a legacy-defining unanimous decision triumph over Canelo Alvarez.
Even before that, Crawford was considered an elite pound-for-pound operator for over a decade, with many believing his most complete performance came against Errol Spence Jr in 2023.
But while the American is perhaps in a class of his own, he nonetheless believes that four-division world champion Shakur Stevenson can achieve a similar degree of success.
The 29-year-old claimed a career-best victory in January, losing just one round as he dethroned Teofimo Lopez with a masterful unanimous decision victory.
Having now signed with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, though, it remains to be seen whether he defends his WBO super-lightweight title or pursues opportunities elsewhere.
Either way, Crawford has told Fight Hub TV that Stevenson has the mental and physical attributes to remain unbeaten at the highest level.
“I think Shakur [will take over]for sure, Shakur hands down. I think, given the opportunity, he’s going to show the world that he’s the best. His mental, his defense [sets him apart]takes his craft serious. He’s the type of the fighter that you gotta pull out the gym. [Is he beatable?] Not at all. Everybody [is] beatable, but I don’t see nobody beating him.”
Since inking a promotional deal with Zuffa, Stevenson has named Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis as two potential opponents who would cement his greatness.
The slick southpaw could therefore compete anywhere between lightweight and 147lbs, depending on which division offers the most realistic opportunities.
Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.
Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.
The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.
Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.
Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.
“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.
It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.
“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”
Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.
Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.
Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.
Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.
Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.
Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.
“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”
Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through.
Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) July 25, 2026
The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.
MMA2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
Boxing2 days ago
Boxing2 days ago
Boxing2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
MMA21 hours ago
MMA2 days ago