MEXICO CITY – June 17, 2025 – After a tense back-and-forth at the press conference to announce their Summer rematch, Mexican star and former 140-pound world champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz promised a decisive ending the second time he faces Mexican rival Angel Fierro as they square off again on Saturday, July 19 highlighting a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“We’re working even harder than last time so we can give Fierro a beatdown on July 19,” said Cruz.
At the press conference in Los Angeles announcing the fight, Fierro claimed that had “figured Cruz out” and had previously hurt him in the third round of their first fight, proving that “Isaac doesn’t have the chin that people say he has.” While Cruz disagrees with Fierro’s assessment of the action, he’s choosing not to focus on the antagonistic barbs.
“Fierro’s shot in the third round was to the back of the head, not the chin, and that would make anyone stumble,” said Cruz. “I will make sure that doesn’t happen again…Maybe Fierro didn’t watch the fight or doesn’t know how to identify body parts. He wants to piss me off, but I fight with a cool head and a hot heart. He’s not going to distract me by saying baseless and idiotic things.”
The Mexico City-native Cruz earned the close decision on all three scorecards the first time around, but appeared less effective in the second half of the fight, as Fierro out landed him 132 to 106 across the final five frames. Despite getting the nod, Cruz believes that a more focused training camp will yield the dominant result he seeks.
“We are fully seizing the moment this time around,” said Cruz. “We were kind of lackadaisical the first time around, but that’s not happening this time. It’s all internal motivation. No pain, just working toward the best possible result. All I’m doing is going from the gym to the house and back.
“My mentality is always to fight like I’m down on the cards, because that brings out the best of me. I was lacking consistency in my pressure in the first fight and letting him think. We have a plan to fix that and implement a wider variety of punches to get the job done.”
Adding to Cruz’s motivation to perform is that he’ll be fighting on the undercard of an event headlined by his promoter and idol, International Boxing Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao. Cruz recalled some of his favorite Pacquiao moments before he warms up the ring for Pacquiao on July 19.
“I still can’t believe I am sharing a PPV card with Pacquiao,” said Cruz. “It truly is a thrill. I read the contract and couldn’t believe it. My favorite Pacquiao fights are his fight against Ricky Hatton, his fights against Juan Manuel Márquez, and really any of his entertaining matchups against Mexican opponents, and his fight against Floyd Mayweather. Whenever Pacquiao fought Marquez, it was a clash of emotions for me. I wanted Márquez to win as a fellow Mexican, but It was 50/50 because I always loved Pacquiao’s fighting style so much.”
While discussing his history of watching Pacquiao, Cruz pointed out how the Pacquiao vs. Márquez rematch, along with two other great Mexico vs. Mexico rivalries, yielded even more exciting action the second time around, a feat that he believes he and Fierro will repeat.
“Look at Pacquiao vs. Márquez, Erik Morales vs. Marco Antonio Barrera and Israel Vázquez vs. Rafael Márquez, all three of those second bouts were even better than the first,” said Cruz. “This rematch won’t be the exception. I like to give it my all so that the fans can enjoy themselves. If other fighters like to lull them to sleep or bore them, that’s on them. It will never be my style.”
Always confident heading into the ring, Cruz re-emphasized his belief that he’ll make it two for two against Fierro and set his sights on the sport’s biggest names and world champions for his future plans.
“This fight is going to end with Isaac Cruz winning in the best way possible,” said Cruz. “After that, I would like to face (WBO 140-pound champion) Teofimo Lopez and (WBC 140-pound champion) Alberto Puello. I would like to stay at 140, but if facing Gervonta Davis requires going down to 135, I have no issues with that either.”
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ABOUT PACQUIAO VS. BARRIOS
Pacquiao vs. Barrios will see Hall of Fame boxing legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and WBC Welterweight World Champion Mario “El Azteca” Barrios square off in the main event of a star-studded PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video on Saturday, July 19 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
In the co-main event, WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Sebastian “The Towering Inferno” Fundora and Australian superstar Tim Tszyu will rematch after engaging in 2024’s bloodiest fight.
The action will also feature Mexican star Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and his hard-hitting countryman Angel Fierro meeting for a second time in a 12-round super lightweight duel after their action packed February clash, plus former two-division world champion Brandon “The Heartbreaker” Figueroa and top contender Joet Gonzalez kick off the pay-per-view at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with a 10-round featherweight showdown.
Tickets for the live event are on sale now through AXS.com.
For more information visit Amazon.com/PBC, www.PremierBoxingChampions.com, follow #PacquiaoBarrios, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, on Instagram @PremierBoxing, or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions
