Cruz Dominates Romero: Key Fight Statistics

On March 30th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, USA, WBA champion in the super lightweight division (up to 63.5 kg) Rolando Romero (15-2, 13 KOs) made his first title defense against Mexican Isaac Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs).

From the very first round, the champion struggled with the challenger's attacks, appearing shaky under pressure. By the 5th round, the referee penalized Romero for consistently holding his opponent, and in the 8th, intervened to stop the fight following a prolonged assault by the challenger – TKO 8.

Fight Statistics

According to Compubox, Romero landed 85 out of 341 punches (24.9%). Cruz's accuracy was 129 out of 354 (36.4%).

Rolando connected with 14 of 154 jabs thrown (9.1%). For Cruz, this statistic was 8 out of 35 (22.9%).

The majority of Rolando's hits were power punches: 71 out of 187 (38%). For "Pitbull" Cruz, the power punch accuracy was 121 out of 319 (37.9%).

What’s Next?

Cruz, moving up from the lightweight division, immediately became the WBA world champion in the super lightweight category. He now joins the ranks of Devin Haney (WBC), Teofimo Lopez (WBO), and Subriel Matias (IBF).

It's unlikely Cruz will return to the lightweight division, having secured a title in the super lightweight with opportunities for lucrative fights.

While all current champions have named their next opponents, anyone wishing for a unification bout will have to wait. Isaac Cruz is guaranteed to be no easy challenge for any of the champions.