Isaac Cruz vs Angel Fierro Predictions: Pitbull Cruz embarks on the comeback trail

Former WBA super lightweight champion Isaac Cruz returns this Saturday, February 1 as he takes on Angel Fierro. The bout takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the stacked undercard for David Benavidez vs David Morrell. 

Here are my Cruz vs Fierro predictions ahead of this super lightweight 10-rounder.

Isaac Cruz vs Angel Fierro Odds

Ex-champ Cruz is 1/10 to pull off a big win. Fierro trails at 13/2 as the clear underdog. The draw is priced at 20/1.

Fight Preview

Cruz sets foot on the long road back in this fight as he looks to rebound from losing his world title. ‘Pitbull’ lost his title to rangy southpaw Jose Valenzuela via split decision in August. It was a thrilling encounter with an upset result. The action was close but Valenzuela warranted his victory and his new WBA belt.

A contracted rematch between the pair is reportedly on-track, but the idea is that each man will take a fight in the interim. A dangerous game to play in the sport of boxing. The best-laid plans can be scuppered by underdogs who take exception to being overlooked.

On the surface, Fierro does not look much like the sort of guy to be disrupting the career of a man who was a reigning world champion last summer. He is 23-2-2 with 18 knockouts, mostly against the sort of fighters Cruz would not even countenance facing. 

Fierro has lost to former world title challenger Alfredo Santiago and gatekeeper Alex Martin. He has a draw with Juan Carlos Burgos, who once drew with Roman Martinez in a world title fight. But Burgos is firmly on the slide these days having won just one of the three fights he’s had since.

Make no mistake, at least in its conception, this fight is designed as a showcase for Cruz. A beatable opponent that will allow ‘Pitbull’ to reset after losing the title he won in spectacular fashion from Rolando Romero last March. 

On that occasion, Cruz looked insurmountable. It seemed the hyper-competitive super lightweight class had welcomed a new force. There had been hints of Cruz’s exceptional quality before. He is the only man to take Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis the distance in a 12-round fight and he gave the champion a tough time along the way. 

Add that to knockout wins over Diego Magdaleno, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Eduardo Ramirez and you build a picture of a world class fighter. The Valenzuela loss might have knocked Cruz off-course, but in a division ripe with opportunity he will be keen to get back in the mix.

Cruz’s challenge is two-fold. To emerge with a victory. Call this the minimum requirement. Then the extra-credit assignment is a win secured with such verve and gusto that it makes his trip back to the belts undeniable. A rousing triumph that makes fans clamour for his name to appear in a big fight next time out. 

With the Valenzuela fight planned but not yet inevitable, Cruz must stake his claim powerfully enough that he becomes an option for others. Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza clash next month in a fight that could just crown the best non-champion in the division. Only the most spectacular performance on Saturday will allow Cruz to claim that same mythical title. The queue for title shots is long at 140lb. ‘Pitbull’ will need some of the tendencies suggested by his evocative nickname in order to force a path to the front.

Cruz vs Fierro Full Card

David Benavidez vs. David Morrell

Brandon Figueroa vs. Stephen Fulton

Isaac Cruz vs. Angel Fierro

Jesus Ramos vs. Jeison Rosario

Mirco Cuello vs. Christian Olivo

Cruz vs Fierro Prediction

‘Pitbull’ will be up for this one. Rarely in a dull fight, I can see Cruz laying it on thick from the early going. Fierro has never been stopped, but he has never faced someone of Cruz’s credentials before either. 

I’m backing the former world champion to secure the victory by knockout at 10/11.

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