WBA Light Welterweight champion Rolly Romero aimed to defend his title opposite 25-year-old challenger Isaac Cruz earlier tonight (Sat. March 30, 2024) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite being the challenger, Cruz entered the contest as a significant favorite and lived up to expectations.
From the first bell, Cruz didn’t have a lot of respect for the shots coming back at him. He applied a ton of pressure, walking Romero down with extended combinations. Several times, he managed to clip Romero with hard left hooks, stunning the champion badly in the very first round.
Once Cruz took control, he never ceded it back to Romero. Round after round, “Pitbull” would advance behind punches-in-bunches, bullying his opponent around the ring. When Romero stood his ground and fire back, Cruz did a good job of blocking and avoiding the shots. Even when the shots did land, Cruz remained undeterred and stayed on the offense.
The damage built up as the rounds wore on. Romero never hit the floor, but it became very apparent over time that he wasn’t going to pull off any miracle. When Cruz unleashed a particularly nasty combination in the eighth and had Romero on wobbly legs, the referee stepped in to save him.
Check out the highlight clips below:
Isaac Cruz becomes the 8th active Mexican-born world champion, stopping Rolly Romero in round 8.
pic.twitter.com/NnAmO78b24— (@DiariosJournals) March 31, 2024
WHAT A ROUND, ROLLY ROMERO ROCKED IN THE FIRST!!! pic.twitter.com/THDLBtTvX1
— Combat Media (@CombatMedias) March 31, 2024
With the win, Romero has now won four straight bouts with three knockouts. Romero, meanwhile, has lost two of his last three via knockout and will be in a difficult position moving forward.
Perhaps that Ryan Garcia fight is still an option?