- De La Hoya told ringside press at T-Mobile that Tank Davis vs Isaac Cruz II is in 'active negotiation' for a July date
- The first fight in December 2021 went the distance and Cruz arguably did enough to win the verdict
- Davis has been chasing a Floyd Schofield fight but the WBA petition has accelerated the lightweight picture
Right Then — The Story From Saturday Night
Right then. T-Mobile after-show, sometime around two in the morning local time. Oscar De La Hoya is doing the rounds with the press, glass of red in one hand, microphone in the other, talking about Jaime Munguia and Canelo Alvarez rematches. Then someone asks him about Tank.
"Cruz two is on the table," he says. "We're talking. Active talks. July. We need Tank back in the ring and Cruz wants it more than anyone."
Make no mistake — that's not a throwaway comment. That's De La Hoya telling boxing the deal is live.
Why Cruz Earned This
Let's not beat around the bush. The first fight, December 2021 at Staples Center, went the distance and a lot of people thought Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz deserved the nod. The judges scored it 115-113, 115-113, 116-112 for Tank. Watch it back — Cruz had the volume, Cruz had the body work, and Cruz hurt Tank in round nine in a way nobody else has managed before or since.
Tank survived because Tank is brilliant — he's got that left hand that ends fights and he found enough moments to bank the rounds. But Pitbull made him work for every second of twelve rounds. The fight asked questions Tank hadn't been asked before.
That was four and a half years ago. Cruz has fought eleven times since. He's beaten Rolando Romero, he's beaten Giovanni Cabrera, he stopped Jose Valenzuela last year. He's a better fighter now than he was in 2021. Tank is also a better fighter — but the gap, in my view, has closed.
The Schofield Problem
Here's the politics. Floyd Schofield has just filed a WBA petition to force Tank into a mandatory defence. That's the official sanctioning lane. De La Hoya knows this. The WBA is going to rule on the petition this month. If they rule for Schofield, Tank either fights Schofield or he vacates.
Cruz is not a sanctioning mandatory. He's a popularity mandatory. The Cruz fight makes more money — it's a Mexican vs Mexican-American story, both fighters proper crowd-pullers, and there's an existing rematch demand sitting in the bank.
De La Hoya's play is obvious. Sign the Cruz fight for July, do that as the comeback, then come back to Schofield in November or December as a step-up if Schofield wins out in the meantime. That's the script. Whether the WBA lets Tank get away with it is the open question.
Where Does It Land?
July, MGM or T-Mobile, Showtime PPV with Premier Boxing on the broadcast — that's the obvious frame. Could land in Mexico City for the gimmick. I don't see it leaving the States, though. Tank's drawing power is American and the network deal is American. PBC is paying for this.
The Prediction
Tank by close decision again. The first fight told us everything — Tank wins it because he's got more natural fight-ending power and Cruz wins rounds because of volume and pressure. I'd score it 116-112 Tank if I had to pick. But it's a proper fight. Compelling, busy, occasionally horrifying for both men.
If you know, you know — the rematch was always going to happen. De La Hoya has just told us when. July.