Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz’s anywhere, anytime attitude has been passed down to him from his family. He is a third-generation fighter, as both his father and grandfather were boxers in their respective eras. There’s no denying the benefits of having that home environment that will help you win a world title. The Cruz household was waiting to see a world champion emerge from their family for decades now. Ultimately, ‘Pitbull’ brought pride to his family by winning the WBA super lightweight title in a dominating fashion in his fight against Rolly Romero on April 30.

The Mexican fighter will now be seen fighting Jose Valenzuela in one of the most exciting boxing cards of the year this coming Saturday. He’ll be squaring off at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles as the co-main event to the Terence Crawford vs. Israil Madrimov fight. Ahead of that, let’s dive deeper into how his family contributed to making him the exceptional boxer that he is today. 

Who is Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz’s coach? All about his cornermen 

Isaac Cruz Sr. encourages his son by standing in his corner during fights as his coach. Being a boxer in his time, Cruz Sr. was a knockout artist himself. Despite having a modest record of 16–10, he was able to win 14 of his fights via knockout. He imparted the same knockout power to his son, who is often touted as the ‘Mexican Mike Tyson’ among his fans. His grandpa Memo Cruz also helps him with his experience as a fighter. 

The 26-year-old boxer believes, “I know how fortunate I am to have my Papa and Abuelo around. Few fighters have that privilege. I want to honor that and celebrate that because I know it’s a select group of champions who have the honor to stand as a champion and make their dreams come true.” Since Cruz made his US debut in 2019, PBC boss Al Haymon has given him advice and promoted him on key PBC fight cards.

Cruz is promoted by boxing great Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions. Right now, Canelo Alvarez is Mexico’s most prominent fighter. Following Cruz’s triumph over Romero, Sean Gibbons, the head of MP Promotions and Pitbull’s manager, said, “There’s Canelo. And there’s Pitbull… You heard this place… He can main event on his own..We know he can headline [T-Mobile Arena] himself. That’s what he did tonight, with 14,726 in the building. I would say a star was born. He is a Mexican Mike Tyson.” Gibbons and Cruz’s horde of admirers think he fights like legendary boxer Mike Tyson. So what does ‘Iron Mike’ feel about it? 

Does Isaac Cruz fight like Mike Tyson? The boxing legend thinks so!

Many boxing pundits and enthusiasts believe that ‘Iron Mike’ had the best build for a boxer. Cruz also has a similar build, and coincidentally, he fights in a similar fashion to Tyson. Cruz once showcased his parallels to Tyson on Instagram by sharing a collage of the two of them. ESNEWS questioned Tyson about which current boxer reminded him of himself. The former heavyweight champion replied, “If I had to say someone, I would say Isaac Cruz.”

The veteran continued, “He’s short and stubby for his weight like I was, and he comes at you. Cruz reminds me the most of who I was. He comes at you with bad intentions.” For a boxer, hearing Mike Tyson say that you fight like him is one of the greatest compliments. Both Tyson and Cruz are short-heighted boxers, who hold their arms in front of the face, throwing powerful blows to the head and torso at close range.  

Where does Isaac Cruz train? 

The super lightweight champion has spent most of his time training at the Mirra Boxing Gym in Mexico City. He considers it as his second home and said, “The people at the gym really motivate you to give it your best, whether you train or during sparring. We are very motivated.” He has also trained at the Knuckleheads boxing gym in the past.

Of the two professional losses of his career, Cruz was defeated by WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. But Cruz believes that he can outclass the American boxer and said, “I don’t know if [Davis is] afraid or not to face me in a rematch, but what I do know, with the right training camp and right preparation, if I face Gervonta again, I can give him a big surprise.” 

Davis has a lot on his plate right now. Only time will tell if Cruz gets to square off against him anytime soon. Meanwhile, what do you think about Issac Cruz’s upcoming fight against Jose Valenzuela on August 3? Share your thoughts in the comments below.