In this week’s mailbag, we tackle your thoughts on the upcoming show headlined by Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Jnr, including whether it will be overpriced as a pay-per-view; and the difference between Gervonta “Tank” Davis choosing money fights vs. choosing legacy fights.

We also discuss women’s boxing having two-minute or three-minute rounds; and a bad taste one reader was left with following a recent 360 Promotions show.

LAMONT ROACH WILL WIN BRUTAL FIGHT WITH PITBULL CRUZ

Lamont Roach vs. Isaac “Pitbull Cruz” is a very good fight! Cruz’s style hasn't changed, but it has evolved. Looks like he’s taking his craft very seriously, so never underestimate the guy. I think Roach wins, but this will be brutal. Even more so since Cruz has a chin and Roach has the skills and grit to hang on the inside. This will be a tough one for the judges. 

-Deleted

Lance Pugmire’s response: While both of these guys pursued “Tank” Davis to no avail, finding each other indeed brings us to a match where no one is doubting whether they are fully committed to the sport. 

Cruz has serious questions to answer regarding whether his hammer punches and desire are good enough to handle a champion boxer. Roach is coming off standing up to and pretty much beating a hard-hitting bully – even though the judges scored it a draw – and dissecting the less-dimensional Cruz would be a critical triumph in his cause to take on the best fighters around the 135- and 140lbs weight classes. Cruz must bring a ferocity beyond what he’s shown before to win this bout. And that’s what makes staging this high-stakes collision in fight-friendly Texas so compelling.

DON’T OVERCHARGE FOR LAMONT ROACH-PITBULL CRUZ

Lamont Roach Jnr vs Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and Erislandy Lara vs Janibek Alimkhanuly are a decent doubleheader. I wouldn’t mind paying for it if the pay-per-view was like $39.99. But I’m sure PBC is going to charge Floyd Mayweather PPV prices like they always do – ignoring how it took Floyd years to work his way up to being able to command an $80 price point. 

-ShoulderRoll

Lucas Ketelle’s response: The landscape of boxing is changing. I agree wholeheartedly with your thesis. This is a solid doubleheader, but it also begs the question at what price point (and what is a pay-per-view in the modern era). 

Roach gave Gervonta “Tank” Davis a heck of a fight and was unable to secure a rematch after their draw in March. Cruz has won two fights this year after losing his WBA junior welterweight title to Jose Valenzuela. 

The fight comes down to this: How good is Roach? 

Many gave Roach no chance against Davis, and he did well, but he will move up to 140lbs to face Cruz, a great pressure fighter who is three inches shorter than Roach. Roach is also holding roughly a four-inch reach advantage. It is a calculated risk by Roach’s team to finish the year strong, while Cruz looks to regain his top billing spot with a win. 

Pairing that with the 42-year-old middleweight titleholder, Lara, facing unified beltholder Alimkhanuly, will answer two questions. How great is Lara competing at a high level in his 40s, and just how good is Alimkhanuly?

The theme of the card is proving potential. The question is: Will that price point be worth what will be billed to the consumer? 

THREE-MINUTE ROUNDS FOR WOMEN’S BOXING?

The fact that women’s boxing has two-minute rounds is what makes it exciting (“Amelia Moore believes longer rounds will bring out women’s best”). I have yet to see a boring big fight in the women's ranks because the shorter time forces them to really fight. 

 -r.burgundy  

What women fighting three-minute rounds will do is further expose the gap between the elite talent in the women’s game and everyone else. Of course Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron and Gabriela Fundora can handle three-minute rounds; it's the women outside the top 10-15 in every division that will struggle. 

-famicommander

Matt Christie’s response: Hard to disagree with either point. Though one could argue that the excitement generated in well-matched women’s boxing isn’t purely down to two-minute rounds, it’s certainly a huge factor. I also think it’s a myth that all female boxers are yearning for the chance to test themselves over three minutes; Katie Taylor, to name just one, is not an advocate of increasing the duration of rounds.

Though I don’t doubt that three-minute rounds might work in fights involving two elite competitors, the truth is that it nearly always works when they’re scheduled for two. Unquestionably, boxers who know they have only two minutes with which to work are higher energy than those that have three. And you make a good point; mismatches are still too commonplace in women’s boxing – and extending those fights in which the disparity in skill levels is stark could well be a recipe for disaster.

Which brings us to another factor to consider: Safety. 

Twenty minutes of violent exchanges should be quite enough. Think of the recent Taylor-Serrano slugfests, and plenty of others that have thrilled us, and then consider the extra damage that would have been accrued with another 10 minutes of action. Sure, there might be more knockouts. There would also be more visits to hospital, too.

With all the above in mind, and I’m acutely aware this will be a divisive or even sacrilegious view, I’d rather see men’s boxing reduce the length of rounds to two minutes than women’s boxing rise to three. But that’s a discussion for another day.

TANK DAVIS FOCUSED ON MONEY, NOT LEGACY, AND THAT’S OK

People can say what they want about Gervonta “Tank” Davis, and I will say as a fan of his fights, his career is a total waste from his talent level – but the dude has made tens of millions of dollars and counting. 

The median income in Baltimore, where he’s from, is less than $60,000 a year. Seems like he has it figured out, from where I’m sitting. Before anybody yells about legacy, boxing is his means of income. I’d wager most people don’t go to work thinking about the legacy they’re leaving, but their paycheck every week. Just food for thought. 

-Get em up

Lance Pugmire’s response: In the grand scheme of life, you are absolutely correct that Gervonta Davis has accomplished great success financially, and for many, that is all that matters.

The conversation veers from there when it turns to his stature as a world champion boxer. Yes, he’s a two-division titleholder (his win over Mario Barrios was for a secondary belt at 140lbs) and he has now landed a lucrative exhibition with Jake Paul. 

But while Davis has dedicated his life to this sport, the burning question after his March draw versus Lamont Roach Jnr is whether his heart is still in it to achieve the type of greatness his previous trajectory indicated he might have been capable of.

A boxing great would try to run the Roach rematch right back. A boxing great would’ve been after Shakur Stevenson for a unification.

“Tank” is languishing in limbo, content to take the cash for now and cautious to truly test his ring mettle. It allows him to declare himself rich, but it denies him the ability to declare himself a boxing great. 

ARE MISMATCHES ON 360 PROMOTIONS SHOWS A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME?

Another night of 360 Promotions mismatches (“Cain Sandoval keeps moving forward in 10th-round KO of Jino Rodrigo”). Before this match, Rodrigo lost to a guy with one fight! [Editor’s note: That would be Ruslan Abdullaev, who was a top amateur.] Always noncompetitive trash on these cards: A-side vs B-side and 99% it's always a foregone conclusion. Is this what we have to look forward to from Zuffa Boxing? NO THANKS. 

-crisantonio917

Jake Donovan’s response: Respectfully, I disagree with your take on this series, though I do agree that Friday’s show was poor – but only in comparison to 360’s past efforts for this series. Last Friday’s offering felt like a typical club show, and I hope that the last few we get aren’t just placeholders until 360 fighters are rolled into Zuffa Boxing next year. 

That said, the August show featured a competitive main event both on paper and in reality (“Omar Trinidad and Lorenzo Parra fight to a draw”), as well as a major title fight (“Mizuki Hiruta outclasses Naomy Cardenas Gomez”). The card before that, Callum Walsh faced a Manny Robles-trained spoiler who was coming off a draw in a fight he was “supposed” to lose decisively, and the co-feature produced a major upset. 

I’ve greatly appreciated Tom Loeffler’s efforts through the years. He’s one of the sport’s last true promoters left and did a great job bridging the gap until Dana White was able to get Zuffa Boxing off the ground.

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