Has Isaac Cruz done enough to crack the list?

Isaac Cruz makes a strong impression with his role knockout round eight by Rolando Romero on Saturday in Las Vegas.

But did the new 140-pounder from Mexico do enough in that fight — and does he have the resume — to climb Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list?

Not necessarily.

Everyone agrees that Cruz is developing into a formidable fighting machine, a pressure fighter with the athleticism, endurance and punching power to dominate his opponents.

However, we should not overreact to the one-sided victory over Romero, a good but limited fighter. And Cruz still hasn’t had a victory against a top opponent despite defeating Gervonta Davis in a defeat in 2021.

Bottom line: Cruz has to beat a boxer or someone of that caliber to leave no doubt that he belongs among the best in the business.

And those matchups will come soon if Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) continues to win. Perhaps bouts with title holders like Devin Haney or Teofimo Lopez – or maybe even a rematch with Davis – are in his near future.

A win over any of the above would be enough to elevate Cruz to new heights. Keep stable.

What about Sebastian Fundora?

The new champion weighed 154 pounds defeating rising star Tim Tszyu by a split decision in Saturday’s main event, an achievement for which Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs) deserves recognition.

However, we cannot draw definite conclusions because Tszyu was blinded by blood flowing into his eyes, the result of a terrible cut on his hairline. Additionally, Fundora was knocked out by Brian Mendoza in a previous fight.

Fundora’s time may come, but not now.

Next promotion fight: No. 10 Devin Haney is scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 on pay-per-view from Las Vegas.

Here is the current list:

ATTRACTIVE AUTHORITY PEOPLE
POUND-FOR-POUND

1. Terence Crawford – There is no match schedule.
2. Naoya Inoue – Scheduled to defend the undisputed 122-pound championship against Luis Nery on May 6 in Japan.
3. Oleksandr Usyk – Scheduled to face No. 9 Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
4. Dmitry Bivol – Scheduled to face No. 12 Artur Beterbiev for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
5. Juan Francisco Estrada – Expected to defend his 115-pound title against No. 11 Jesse Rodriguez on June 29 in Phoenix.
6. Canelo Alvarez – Scheduled to face Jaime Munguia for the undisputed 168-pound championship on May 4 in Las Vegas.
7. Jermell Charlo – There is no match schedule.
8. Gervonta Davis – There is no match schedule.
9. Tyson was angry – Scheduled to face No. 3 Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship on May 18 in Saudi Arabia.
10. Devin Haney– Scheduled to defend his WBC 140-pound title against Ryan Garcia on April 20 in Las Vegas.
11. Jesse “Bam” Rodríguez – Scheduled to face No. 5 Juan Francisco Estrada for Estrada’s 115-pound title on June 29 in Phoenix.
12. Artur Beterbiev – Scheduled to face No. 4 Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed 175-pound championship on June 1 in Saudi Arabia.
13. Errol Spence Jr. – There is no match schedule.
14. Vasily Lomachenko – Scheduled to face George Kambosos Jr. to compete for the vacant IBF 135-pound title on May 12 in Australia.
15. Shakur Stevenson– Reportedly close to reaching a deal to defend his 135-pound title against Artem Harutyunyan on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Honorable mention (alphabetically): David Benavidez (agreed to fight 175-pounder Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June but no announcement has been made); Jermall Charlo (no match schedule); Roman Gonzalez (no match schedule); Kazuto Ioka (no match schedule); Teofimo López (reportedly close to reaching a deal to defend his 140-pound title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami).