Gervonta Davis survived the toughest test of his career in a unanimous decision victory over Isaac Cruz (116-112, 115-113, 115-113) to retain the WBA lightweight belt in front of a raucous crowd at Staples Center. Davis, one of the rising stars in boxing (26-0), had previously only gone the distance one time in his career. Make that two, after a back-and-forth battle with his Mexican opponent on Sunday night.

Cruz was the more aggressive fighter from the get-go, coming in strong with nice hooks and body shots, but Davis stayed patient waiting for his shot. He routinely landed straight shots and uppercuts but unlike 24 past foes, it was clear Cruz wouldn’t go down on a single punch.

Every time Davis threw, he received something back. Cruz tagged Davis in the 10th with a nice combination against the ropes but it wasn’t enough to overcome the scorecards.

In the end, Davis’ elite defensive ability and cleaner shots throughout made the difference. ‘Tank’ said after the fight he hurt his left hand in the fifth or sixth round and wasn’t able to use it properly down the stretch.

Davis was asked after the fight about potentially fighting fellow young stars in Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia or new lightweight champion George Kambosos Jr. “All of those are easy work,” he answered.

(Photo: Esther Linn/Showtime)

Was this the right decision?

Greg Rosenstein, boxing reporter: Yes. Cruz clearly came to fight and had a few nice combinations, particularly the later rounds, but it wasn’t enough to edge Davis who put on the more complete show. Fans in the arena didn’t like it, raining down boos, but the right man won. ‘Tank’ landed the cleaner shots throughout and deserves credit for how he performed with an injured hand after the fifth.

Advertisement

Who is next for Davis?

Rosenstein: Hopefully another big test. I really don’t want to see Rolando Romero — who was pulled from this fight initially amid sexual assault allegations — over biggest stars like Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney or George Kambosos Jr. Those are the names that should be in discussion, as we all want to see the best stars fight the best.

But this is boxing, after all, where promoters like to “marinate” matchups as long as humanly possible and let industry politics get involved. Let’s hope that’s not the case here. Davis is a star and needs big fights while he’s in his prime.

Did Cruz’s stock rise in this loss?

Rosenstein: Yes. Too often in boxing, we see a losing fighter, unfortunately, lose everything but not here. This was easily Davis’ toughest test to date. Cruz brought it from the opening bell and had Davis in trouble multiple times. Cruz’s stock without a doubt rose despite not gaining the belt. His team said he got rave reviews from PBC head Al Haymon, so expect more big fights in his future.