Results and video: Gervonta Davis wins rare decision over Isaac Cruz

Gervonta Davis fought through a hurt left hand to win via unanimous decision over Isaac Cruz and retain his WBA title.

Showtime Boxing PPV’s Sunday night feature saw undefeated Gervonta Davis (26-0, 24 KOs) defend his WBA “regular” lightweight title over a spirited and tough Isaac Cruz (25-2-1, 18 KOs), who took the fight on short notice and became just the second person to ever go the distance against Davis.

The 27-year-old Davis had been on a lengthy tear, winning all of his fights since 2015 via knockout or TKO. The 23-year-old Cruz had been on a roll himself, having been on an undefeated run since 2016. A sold out crowd at Staples Center was pro-Davis but there were plenty of Mexican supporters getting behind ‘Pitbull.’

Cruz showed more forward action in the first half as Davis fought on his backfoot. But that didn’t mean the champ was compromised as he threw counter hooks and landed many of them, and showcased his accuracy and lightning-fast hands in exchanges.

Cruz began fighting fire with fire by round six, trading body shots with Davis while constantly engaging the body lock to disrupt the momentum. By the 12th and final round, Davis was fighting one-handed, which according to broadcasters, could be due to an injury to his left. As Davis told Jim Gray in the post-fight interview, he hurt his hand as early as the sixth round.

In the end, it was Davis who won via unanimous decision (116-112 x2, 115-113) to retain his title.

In the undercard fight right before, Sebastian Fondura emerged victorious in his title eliminator against Sergio Garcia. The lanky super welterweight won via unanimous decision. Carlos Adames won a middleweight title eliminator over Sergiy Derevyanchenko in an action-packed brawl, and Eduardo Ramirez scored a knockdown and took a decision over Miguel Marriaga at 130 lbs.

Results:

Gervonta Davis def. Isaac Cruz via unanimous decision (116-12, 115-113 x2)

Sebastian Fundora def. Sergio Garcia via unanimous decision (115-113, 117-111, 118-110)

Carlos Adames def. Sergiy Derevyanchenko via majority decision (95-95, 97-93, 96-94)

Eduardo Ramirez def. Miguel Marriaga via unanimous decision (99-90 x3)