By: Hans Themistode
Before Teofimo Lopez stepped into the ring to fight George Kambosos Jr last weekend at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, there was an undeniable aura around him.
The 24-year-old New Yorker saw his shares rise to all-time highs following an unlikely win over Vasyl Lomachenko a year earlier. Although Lopez is considered one of the youngest and brightest stars in boxing, Kambosos Jr. still unimpressed and undeterred.
As a crowd of Lopez supporters continued to cheer him on, they were speechless as Lopez was eliminated in the opening round before suffering the first loss of his career.
In just a few days, Isaac Cruz will have his own chance to turn the apple cart upside down. The 23-year-old lightweight contender will face the biggest test of his career when he takes on WBA title player “Regular” Gervonta Davis at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. December 5.
Despite scoring 17 consecutive victories, Cruz is still considered a much weaker underdog. Regardless of the stereotypes surrounding his chances against Davis this Sunday night, Cruz simply pointed to last weekend’s results as a reminder.
“You know what Kambosos showed everyone? That there are no superheroes on this earth,” Cruz said in an interview with SecondsOut. “Everyone is human, everyone has weaknesses. I’ll find Gervonta’s weak spot and then we’ll see what happens on Sunday night.”
Initially, Cruz was surprised when he was first told he would be promoted from the bottom tier to the main event. Before that, high-ranked lightweight Rolando Romero will face Davis. However, with the outspoken and pompous power punch removed from the card due to some ongoing legal issues, Cruz was given a chance.
For Davis, changing his preparation to deal with a much shorter boxer than a taller Romero, was what he revealed to be the perfect transformation.
Most recently, the hard-hitting Baltimore product was last seen in the ring six months ago at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, against Mario Barrios.
While Barrios proved to be one of his tougher opponents, Davis ultimately beat his man before finishing him off in 11th place, considering the violent nature Davis often At the end of his battles, Cruz revealed that he was prepared for another level.
While Kambosos Jr has provided Cruz with a little extra motivation, the Mexican-born man admits that his real motivation comes from an entirely different source.
“What Kambosos has shown us is that champions can be beaten. But my inspiration is not him. That’s my wife and it’s my baby. ”
