Isaac Cruz has hoped for a rematch against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.

He must get by Giovanni Cabrera for that to become a reality.

Saturday’s clash between Cruz and Cabrera will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will precede the main event bout between Errol Spence and Terence Crawford for the undisputed welterweight championship.

Both fights will air live on Showtime Championship Boxing Pay-Per-View (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).

Cruz (24-2-1, 17 knockouts), who resides in Mexico City, has not fought since dropping Eduardo Ramirez multiple times before winning by knockout on September 4. The win over Ramirez took place less than five months after Cruz stopped former world titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa. 

His two most recent wins have taken place since his most meaningful fight, thus far, as a pro, which was a close unanimous decision loss to Davis in December 2021. Both are currently ranked two and three, respectively, by The Ring at 135 pounds. 

The clash against Cabrera is a world title elimination bout. Cabrera (21-0, 7 KOs), who resides in Chicago, Illinois, has not fought in over a year, defeating Gabriel Flores, Jr. by unanimous decision.

At Wednesday’s press conference, Cruz reiterated his hope a rematch against Davis will come a reality later this year or in 2024. Cruz insists he is not overlooking Cabrera.

“We had a great training camp and we prepared well for this fight,” Cruz told The Ring in an interview last week. “I’m only focused on what I have to do for Saturday night.

“After the fight, we will sit down and discuss what will be the next fight for me.”

The 25-year-old has fought several times on Showtime programming, including the ShoBox series. Cruz does have wins over Thomas Mattice, Jose Matias Romero and Francisco Vargas. 

Cruz’s come-forward and aggressive style have made him a fan favorite to boxing fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Aside from the close loss to Davis, Cruz’s stock has increased to where he is mentioned amongst the best fighters at 135 pounds and as a possible opponent for others in the division.

Fights against Ryan Garcia and Shakur Stevenson were not able to be finalized over the last year or so, but he is still open to facing those fighters, and the likes of Frank Martin.

“I am open to fighting anyone,” said Cruz, who is managed by Sean Gibbons. 

A win over Cabrera could put Cruz a step closer to fighting for a world title shot. Ring Magazine lightweight champion Devin Haney could be moving up in weight to face WBC world junior welterweight titleholder Regis Prograis, although word is Haney is petitioning to hold the WBC lightweight title.

Even as Cruz becomes a mandatory challenger for the WBC and WBA world title belts with a win over Cabrera, he still believes he can become a more well-rounded fighter.

“I don’t think of myself as the best lightweight at the moment,” said Cruz. “I do believe I’m one of the best fighters in the division. There’s a lot of opportunities for me. I know what I’m capable of.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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