Gervonta Davis respects Isaac Cruz, not taking him lightly: “Cruz comes to win, not just hang in there”

Gervonta “Tank” Davis is putting the final touches on his training ahead of a Dec. 5 Showtime pay-per-view clash with Isaac Cruz, who came in on short notice to replace Rolando Romero in the fight.

The 12-round lightweight bout will see Davis defending his secondary WBA title, and Davis says he’s taking the hard-nosed Cruz very seriously, not looking past him toward potential bigger fights in 2022.

“I know Cruz is going to come to fight. The fans are going to be the winners in this fight, because we’re both coming in prepared to be at our best. I’m ready to put on a great show,” Davis said in his virtual press conference on Monday.

“This is a more interesting fight now, because we both come forward. This is going to be something great for the fans and another exciting night for the sport of boxing. May the best man win. We’re both coming with our ‘A’ games.”

Cruz (22-1-1, 15 KO) noted that Davis (25-0, 24 KO) hasn’t faced a come-forward, warrior sort of fighter like him to date, but “Tank” believes that’s a two-way street.

“He can say I haven’t faced someone like him, but he’s never fought anybody like me either. I can box and I can hit. We’ll see what he’s saying when he gets hit in the face,” he said. “It’s going to be fireworks for sure. It’s going to be something you can’t miss. Don’t go get your popcorn or anything like that during this fight. This is another tough task, but this is what I’m made for.”

With Cruz as a short notice opponent, the 27-year-old Davis has had to change preparations for a completely different style of fighter than Rolando Romero, and says he’s been working on doing just that, and also showed a respect for Cruz that clearly wasn’t there for his matchup with Romero.

“You always have to adapt in boxing. No matter what comes your way. I’m going to adapt to Cruz. I’m figuring out every day how Cruz is thinking and what he’s going to bring to the fight,” Davis said. “Cruz has impressed me in his past fights. He comes in there to win. He doesn’t look to just hang in there. He wants to go in and take it. He’s not an opponent I can overlook. A win over him would be big for me.”