The fight between Isaac Cruz and former WBA Jr. Lightweight world champion Lamont Roach on December 6th in San Antonio, TX not only was an encounter between two of the best fighters currently in the sport of Boxing, but also represented Roach’s debut in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division. One could also say that Roach was riding a career high after receiving a draw in his previous bout in March with the talented, but troubled Gervonta Davis. In facing Cruz, Roach was in some ways going back into a fire pit by facing a fighter known for his aggression that while not known for the type of knockout power that Davis had, has a non-stop come forward, pressure attack that many fighters including Davis have found difficult to combat. It was also a fight that Roach openly sought after not being able to secure a rematch with Davis.
The question of this fight was both simple and complex. Would Roach be able to deal with a fighter like Cruz who suffocates opponents with pressure and could he do so ten pounds heavier than where he was a world champion in the 130lb. Jr. Featherweight division? It became apparent early on when the two fighters met at the Frost Bank Center that Cruz had every intention of being as difficult a task to combat as he has been for virtually every opponent he has ever faced.
By applying pressure early, Cruz made it difficult for Roach, a well-rounded boxer/puncher, to find a consistent rhythm by forcing him to stand and fight on the inside, which is not typically the norm for Roach, who uses lateral movement and angles to attack his opponents. This approach for Cruz, the current WBC number one Jr. Welterweight contender, by making it a rough and at times ugly fight, was highlighted in round three when he was credited with a knockdown when a left hook to the jaw knocked Roach off balance where one of his gloves touched the canvas. Although this was the correct call by Referee James Green, it was a cruel irony that the first knockdown of Roach’s career came in a similar manner as when he was not credited with a knockdown when Davis took a knee in the ninth round of their fight back in March of this year. In that instance, however, a knockdown, which would have been the correct call was not made and that error, arguably resulted in that fight being scored a draw and not a victory for Roach as many observers, including this one, felt he deserved.
Unfortunately for Roach, the irony and the cruelty would not stop with the knockdown here, despite that ruling being correct. From the point in which Roach got up from the knockdown, he gradually got himself into a rhythm by throwing short and consistent combinations that often caught Cruz as he came forward. Often when Cruz did get in close, he clinched and held Roach on the inside. It was such holding that often resembled more grappling on the inside as opposed to what is considered holding to necessitate a separation from the referee or holding when the fighter doing so is hurt and trying to avoid being knocked down or out, that resulted in him being penalized a point for holding excessively in round seven. By that point, however, Roach seemed to have nullified the effects of the knockdown in round three in terms of points as this observer felt, though many of the rounds remained competitive, he took over the tempo of the fight and carried the action for the remainder of the twelve round bout.
At the conclusion of the twelve round fight, I arrived with a 114-111 scorecard in favor of Lamont Roach. A three point margin, but I had Roach winning eight rounds to four. Normally when there is an eight-four margin in a twelve round fight, one usually arrives at a 116-112 scorecard in points. The three point margin rather than a four point margin is a reflection of both the knockdown of Roach in round three, which was scored 10-8 in favor of Isaac Cruz per it being a round where he scored a knockdown, and the point deduction against Cruz in round seven in a round where he was losing the round prior to that penalizing. Without the point being taken from him, he would have lost the round by a score of 10-9. The deduction, however, resulted in a 10-8 score and ultimately how I ended up with a 114-111 final score rather than the standard 116-112 score for an eight rounds to four margin.
The thorough explanation and analysis of scoring from yours truly is moot in this case as the result of this fight would ultimately be a majority draw with only one judge, having a victor in Cruz on his scorecard. The cruelty for Roach is that this is now the second consecutive fight in less than a year where he was held to a draw in a fight many feel he won.
The question I have coming out of this fight is Can Lamont Roach get a fair shake, or as several fighters in previous eras have had a label placed on them, has Roach become Boxing’s latest hard luck fighter? A label usually reserved for fighters who either end up with losses against more notable opposition or end up with draws as Roach has now done twice. For his part, Roach did not hide his frustration in a post-fight interview in the ring immediately after the decision was announced calling the verdict quote “Bullshit” and saying he was tired of not getting a fair shake. While this observer does not often display expletives in his writings per professional/journalistic standards, the quote offered by a frustrated fighter in Lamont Roach, who has proven to be one of the best fighters in the sport, despite not getting the victories in these two recent outings that many feel, including yours truly that he deserved, was both blunt and one that many fighters throughout history have expressed at one time or another when on the wrong end of a decision they felt should have gone their way, whether justified in those feelings or not.
It is hard to not sympathize with a fighter that clearly has the talent and credentials to be one of the top fighters of his era, who feels like they were not given the credit/victory they felt they were due. Unfortunately, the Cruz-Roach bout will also now take its place as the latest in a long line of controversial fights over decades to be held in the state of Texas, which have often revolved around controversial scoring. Whether this decision, like Roach’s bout with Gervonta Davis, which was held in Brooklyn, NY is simply a case of judges, who like the rest of us, are human beings, having a bad night at the office is something that will likely be debated. What is perhaps more troublesome for sanctioning organizations and state and international regulatory boards is if fighters feel that they aren't being treated fairly and that perception slowly spreads amongst fellow fighters and subsequently gains public support, it will become increasingly harder to hold combat sports events and have the credibility that it is truly an even playing field for all combatants where adequate decisions will be rendered. When one also considers the times in which we live where it is all too easy for one, whether they have credibility or not, to air their grievances publicly, such controversies should not be dismissed.
“And That's The Boxing Truth.”
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