Comments Thread For: Teofimo Lopez Jr. seeking title unification with Isaac Cruz

[crimsonfalcon07]

Probably one of the better fights to be had in the division. Let's see if it happens...

[Gary Coleman]

I like Pitbull in this fight. Teo's power has not carried up.

[kiaba360]

Cruz isn't even close to joe joyce in style. Are u implying that he's slow, or because of the constant pressure? He's not lightning fast, but he's also not wasting any time, he's always right in front of you, always looking to crack your ribs or yourr face with hard punches, so you have no time to think or rest. You either fight him toe to toe, or try to box and move. The thing is, he's eagerly looking for a hard fight, and he doesn't seem to care who it is, or how hard they punch, whereas many guys aren't trying to fight from bell to bell like that. He's also NOT easy to hit clean or consistently. And so far, his chin is made of iron. He doesn't visibly react to getting hit, and his facial expression never changes. And even with his aggressive style, you never see him with mouth wide open gasping for air. He's extra rugged, game to the core, and damned near impossible to hurt or discourage, just like a real pit bull. That name fits him perfectly

There are of course differences between Joyce and Cruz, but they provide similar challenges for their foes. They are the irresistible forces of their respective divisions (the "Juggernauts" if you will). The puzzle appears simple to solve ("you fight him toe to toe, or try to box and move"), but it's easier said than done. Their styles rely on endurance, persistence, and punch resistance. They break the opponent with a steady output, and they mentally fatigue the opponent with their front-foot pressure and overall temperament. Joyce supposedly had an iron chin too....until Zhang came along and shattered it. I believe the same could eventually happen to Cruz. Cruz's defense is better than Joyce's due to his small frame. He turns his stature into an advantage by shelling up and smothering or dipping under his opponent's punches. Joyce doesn't have that luxury because he's massive and relatively slow. Cruz's weakness is his short reach. The jab is a primary weapon in Joyce's offense, but I think Cruz doesn't utilize his jab because it's unlikely to land and it opens a counterpunching window. Cruz is primarily a hooker.

[archiemoore1]

There are of course differences between Joyce and Cruz, but they provide similar challenges for their foes. They are the irresistible forces of their respective divisions (the "Juggernauts" if you will). The puzzle appears simple to solve ("you fight him toe to toe, or try to box and move"), but it's easier said than done. Their styles rely on endurance, persistence, and punch resistance and endurance. They break the opponent with a steady output, and they mentally fatigue the opponent with their front-foot pressure and overall temperament. Joyce supposedly had an iron chin too....until Zhang came along and shattered it. I believe the same could eventually happen to Cruz. Cruz's defense is better than Joyce's due to his small frame. He turns his stature into an advantage by shelling up and smothering or dipping under his opponent's punches. Joyce doesn't have that luxury because he's massive and relatively slow. Cruz's weakness is his short reach. The jab is a primary weapon in Joyce's offense, but I think Cruz doesn't utilize his jab because it's unlikely to land and it opens a counterpunching window. Cruz is primarily a hooker.

I agree that cruz doesn't jab enough but i just think its a mental thing. Qawi showed me years ago that a short man with great timing and committment to the jab, can and should jab with taller fighters. So being short is no excuse not to jab. It just makes anyone who knows how and when to use it, even more formidable and dangerous

[kiaba360]

I agree that cruz doesn't jab enough but i just think its a mental thing. Qawi showed me years ago that a short man with great timing and committment to the jab, can and should jab with taller fighters. So being short is no excuse not to jab. It just makes anyone who knows how and when to use it, even more formidable and dangerous

Cruz relies on explosiveness and tends to load up on punches, so maybe he figures that jabbing his way in is an ineffective use of his energy. However, I think the lack of a jab can make his offense predictable and will make him easier to frame and outmaneuver. A jab is what Zepeda has over Cruz, and one of the main reasons I'd pick Zepeda in a H2H.

[billeau2]

Chihuahua Cruz is cannon fodder for teo people are hilarious. He beat rolly like lmao that’s his best win

Did you watch his fight against tank? Did you watch any of his other fights? This guy might be the best fighter in the lower divisions right now. He arguably beat Davis. If you actually watch his fights and what he does he is extremely technically sound and is a legitimate pressure fighter which none of these other guys really knows how to deal with.

[billeau2]

Did you even watch that Tank fight. World champion idiot speak.

He backed Davis up for most of the fight. Compare that to anybody else tank has fought. And don't make an excuses about one hand... It's the fight game and people have to deal with it things that come up physically otherwise we can explain away every win or loss a fighter experiences.

Try to find another fight where tank was backed up.

[billeau2]

Because Cruz operates in a straight line and marches forward in a high guard, he invites his opponent to try and penetrate his defense. His style forces the opponent to engage, and if they can't stop Cruz's forward momentum, they wind up having to move and reset to their optimal range. If Cruz manages to close distance and create an in-fight, his short stature and short arms become advantageous. Cruz isn't unbeatable, but he presents certain challenges that not every fighter is equipped to properly handle. He's the Joe Joyce of the LWs. He can be outmaneuvered by someone who's fleet-footed, and will eventually be hurt by a big puncher.....but his tenacity makes him entertaining to watch.

Nice breakdown. Cruise is simply a legitimate pressure fighter. And some fighters traditionally fight off a dominant line. Sonny Liston, pacman two examples...

Cruise is very adept at protecting himself and the only thing I would disagree with he's nothing like Joe Joyce. The reason being, Cruise is extremely defensively responsible. If you watch he always has his back hand near his jaw and braced. He also has decent head movement which I personally wish he would use more.

I would also say cruise is not a big puncher. I think that often gets lost in translation. And he could get tagged by a good strong shot for sure. But somebody's going to have to be more than just fleet-footed to do so.

[billeau2]

There are of course differences between Joyce and Cruz, but they provide similar challenges for their foes. They are the irresistible forces of their respective divisions (the "Juggernauts" if you will). The puzzle appears simple to solve ("you fight him toe to toe, or try to box and move"), but it's easier said than done. Their styles rely on endurance, persistence, and punch resistance. They break the opponent with a steady output, and they mentally fatigue the opponent with their front-foot pressure and overall temperament. Joyce supposedly had an iron chin too....until Zhang came along and shattered it. I believe the same could eventually happen to Cruz. Cruz's defense is better than Joyce's due to his small frame. He turns his stature into an advantage by shelling up and smothering or dipping under his opponent's punches. Joyce doesn't have that luxury because he's massive and relatively slow. Cruz's weakness is his short reach. The jab is a primary weapon in Joyce's offense, but I think Cruz doesn't utilize his jab because it's unlikely to land and it opens a counterpunching window. Cruz is primarily a hooker.

One aspect of Mexican boxing proclivity is the use of the hook not necessarily the jab as a lead punch. Cruz definitely fights in this style.

I think the difference between Joyce and Cruz is simply levels to the game. Cru ise is way more technically accomplished. Joyce truly could not make adjustments in the ring or protect himself at a certain level of engagement.

[Elheath]

Did Subriel Matias die ? Nobody says his name now.

Unfortunately he lost his zero and his belt as well so now he is dead in the eyes of US boxing.