2025 has been a challenging year for Lamont Roach inside the boxing ring.
Twice, he and others felt he should have won in 12-round bouts, but he faced two disappointing decisions.
Roach (25-1-3, 10 KOs) fought Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) to a majority draw (111-115, 113-113, 113-113) during their WBC interim super lightweight title bout on Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
This result marked Roach’s second consecutive majority draw in 2025. Earlier, he faced Gervonta “Tank” Davis in March in New York, ending in a controversial majority draw.
Post-fight, Roach expressed his frustration, stating, “All I want is a fair shake, man — that’s it. I thought I won.” Cruz, a former opponent of Davis, lost a close decision to him back in December 2021.
Cruz began their matchup strongly, taking advantage of Roach’s close-range strategy. He knocked Roach down in the final minute of Round 3 with a left hook. Midway through the fight, realizing he was trailing, Roach altered his game plan to focus more on movement, reminiscent of successful strategies used by other fighters against Cruz.
Cruz employed some questionable tactics, including low blows and headbutts, which resulted in a point deduction in Round 7. As the fight progressed toward the championship rounds, Roach appeared poised for a possible victory. However, late efforts from Cruz shifted momentum back in his favor, leading judges to favor him in several crucial rounds.
Beyond the main event, O’Shaquie Foster secured a decisive victory over Stephen Fulton in another matchup, dominating with a unanimous decision (119-109, 118-110, 117-111) in their WBC interim lightweight title fight.
