Roach and ‘Pitbull’ Cruz Collide in a Chaotic, Controversial Draw
Alright, let me walk you through what went down in San Antonio, because this was one of those fights where the drama outside the punches almost mattered as much as the punches themselves.
Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Lamont Roach stepped into the ring for the WBC interim super lightweight title, and by the end of 12 rounds, the entire Frost Bank Center was buzzing — but not with satisfaction. The fight was ruled a majority draw, with scorecards reading 115-111 for Cruz and two even cards at 113-113. And let me tell you, the reactions were heated .
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For Roach, 2025 has basically felt like a long boxing headache. Earlier this year, he already walked away from a close fight with Gervonta “Tank” Davis feeling robbed after a controversial majority draw. And now, here he was again, believing he had done more than enough to deserve the win — only to hear “draw” once more. When he spoke afterward, frustration was written all over him. He said he just wanted a fair shake, insisting the fight was his by a close but clear margin.
Early in the fight, momentum swung hard toward Cruz. Roach made the risky choice to stand his ground and trade in close range, which played right into Pitbull’s style. Cruz thrives when he can bulldoze forward, and he even scored the first knockdown of Roach’s career with a sharp left hook in Round 3. That moment looked like it might define the night.
But Roach adjusted beautifully in the middle rounds. Instead of getting dragged into a phone-booth brawl, he moved more, boxed smarter, and picked Cruz off with clean left hands. It was the exact strategy fighters like Jose Valenzuela and Giovanni Cabrera had used to give Cruz problems in the past — and once Roach used it, the tide turned. He even benefitted from a point deduction against Cruz in Round 7 after repeated fouls, including low blows and leading with his head.
into the final rounds, it genuinely looked like Roach was steering toward a decision win. But then came the late surge from Cruz. In Round 11 especially, Roach made the mistake of exchanging when he didn’t need to. Cruz landed the kind of heavy, crowd-pleasing shots that judges love — especially in a building filled with more than 10,000 loud Cruz supporters.
When the final bell rang, you could almost feel the tension before the scores were read. And once they were, neither fighter looked thrilled. Roach felt robbed again. Cruz didn’t look satisfied either, knowing he hadn’t clearly won.
In the end, it was one of those nights where the fight gave you action, drama, momentum swings — everything except a clean answer to “who was better?” And judging by both fighters’ reactions, this story isn’t over.
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