Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz snubs Gervonta Davis rematch to face another world champion

Isaac Cruz looks set to get a shot at his old world title after reportedly moving on from a potential rematch with Gervonta Davis.

Cruz and Davis first faced off back in 2021, with the latter winning via unanimous decision. Though Cruz lost, he was the first man to take the American knockout artist the distance since a six-rounder in 2014. Both men have expressed interest in running it back on several occasions in the years since.

As a result, ‘Pitbull’ had been strongly linked to ‘Tank’ as the latter’s comeback opponent following a number of legal issues outside the ring; however, the Mexican’s team have now apparently moved on.

Cruz – who is reported to have linked up with Eddy Reynoso, trainer of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – will instead look to win back a world title at 140lbs.

As reported by ESPN Knockout’s Salvador Rodriguez, he is set to challenge WBA super-lightweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell later this year in Las Vegas, with August 22 or September 5 possible dates.

Fuentes revelaron a ESPN KNOCKOUT que Gary Antuanne Russell estará exponiendo el cetro Superligero WBA ante Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz en fecha por designar. Se habla del 22 de agosto o 5 de septiembre en Las Vegas. Sólo detalles… pic.twitter.com/LTtfgT5iva

— Salvador Rodriguez (@ChavaESPN) June 5, 2026

Russell won the belt by beating José Valenzuela in 2025 and has since made his first defence against Andy Hiraoka, which came in February of this year. Valenzuela had become champion when he beat Cruz back in 2024, putting in a measured display to negate the aggression and pressure-heavy approach of the Mexican fan-favourite.

Fans will be intrigued to see how ‘Pitbull’ looks under the coaching of Reynoso, who may look to develop his defence and build an adaptability that has perhaps been missing from his style. Southpaw Russell will certainly put the new partnership to the test.