{"id":346383,"date":"2026-06-06T04:21:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T22:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=346383"},"modified":"2026-06-06T04:21:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T22:51:31","slug":"isaac-pitbull-cruz-in-talks-for-gary-antuanne-russell-title-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/isaac-pitbull-cruz-in-talks-for-gary-antuanne-russell-title-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaac &#8216;Pitbull&#8217; Cruz In Talks For Gary Antuanne Russell Title Fight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\n<p>WBA light welterweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell could have his next opponent lined up.<\/p>\n<p>In accordance with ESPN KnockOut reporter Salvador Rodriguez, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChavaESPN\/status\/2062998688008446376\" rel=\"nofollow\">talks<\/a> are underway for Russell to defend his WBA 140-pound title against former world champion Isaac \u201cPitbull\u201d Cruz. Rodriguez reported that the fight is being discussed for either August 22 or September 5 in Las Vegas, though no official announcement has been made.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-32\" style=\"margin: 8px 0; clear: both;\">\n<br \/><center><\/p>\n<div style=\"display:flex; justify-content:center; align-items:center; gap:12px; flex-wrap:wrap;\">\n<picture style=\"height:100%; width:auto; display:block;\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boxingnews24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/google.png.webp\"><\/source><\/p>\n<\/picture>\n<p>  <a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqLAgKIiZDQklTRmdnTWFoSUtFR0p2ZUdsdVoyNWxkM015TkM1amIyMG9BQVAB?ceid=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"display:flex; align-items:center; justify-content:center;\n            width:140px; height:40px; overflow:hidden;\"><br \/>\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"468\" height=\"128\" alt=\"Follow Boxing News 24 on Google News\" style=\"height:100%; width:auto; display:block;\" class=\"perfmatters-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.boxingnews24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/follow-google-news.png\"><br \/>\n  <\/a> <\/div>\n<p>The matchup would pit one among boxing\u2019s most aggressive pressure fighters against a champion known for his combination punching and athleticism.<\/p>\n<p>Russell (19-1, 17 KOs) captured the WBA title and successfully defended it earlier this yr in a physically demanding fight against Japanese contender Andy Hiraoka. Russell won a unanimous decision on February 21, however the bout proved far tougher than many expected, as Hiraoka landed quite a few hard body shots and compelled the champion to work through all 12 rounds.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed fight with Cruz would present one other difficult test for the 29-year-old champion.<\/p>\n<p>Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KOs) has not fought since battling Lamont Roach to a 12-round draw last December. The fan-friendly Mexican recently joined forces with trainer Eddy Reynoso and has made no secret of his desire to return to title contention at 140 kilos.<\/p>\n<p>A clash between Russell and Cruz would offer an intriguing contrast in styles. Russell\u2019s height, reach, and boxing ability could create problems for Cruz, while the previous champion\u2019s relentless pressure and body attack would test Russell\u2019s durability after the punishment he absorbed within the Hiraoka fight.<\/p>\n<p>The bout stays under discussion. But when an agreement is reached, Russell and Cruz could meet in Las Vegas later this summer with the WBA light welterweight title on the road.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sabox-authors\">\n<div class=\"saboxplugin-wrap\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"author\">\n<div class=\"saboxplugin-tab saboxplugin-tab-about\">\n<div class=\"saboxplugin-desc\">\n<div itemprop=\"description\">\n<p data-start=\"182\" data-end=\"497\">Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, recognized for his direct evaluation and extensive coverage of the worldwide fight landscape. His reporting focuses on major bouts, divisional developments, and the game\u2019s most discussed storylines.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/center><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/boxingnews24.substack.com\/subscribe\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Related Boxing News:<\/h2>\n<footer class=\"entry-meta\" aria-label=\"Entry meta\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"cat-links\"><span class=\"gp-icon icon-categories\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 512 512\" aria-hidden=\"true\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M0 112c0-26.51 21.49-48 48-48h110.014a48 48 0 0143.592 27.907l12.349 26.791A16 16 0 00228.486 128H464c26.51 0 48 21.49 48 48v224c0 26.51-21.49 48-48 48H48c-26.51 0-48-21.49-48-48V112z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Categories <\/span>Isaac Cruz<\/span> \t\t<\/p>\n<nav id=\"nav-below\" class=\"post-navigation\" aria-label=\"Posts\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/nav>\n<\/footer>\n<nav aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\" class=\"rank-math-breadcrumb\">\n<p>Boxing News 24<span class=\"separator\"> \u00bb <\/span>Isaac Cruz<span class=\"separator\"> \u00bb <\/span><span class=\"last\">Report: Isaac \u2018Pitbull\u2019 Cruz In Talks For Gary Antuanne Russell Title Fight<\/span><\/p>\n<\/nav>\n<p><small>Last Updated on 2026\/06\/05 at 6:25 PM <\/small>\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WBA light welterweight champion Gary Antuanne Russell could have his next opponent lined up. In accordance with ESPN KnockOut reporter Salvador Rodriguez, talks are underway for Russell to defend his WBA 140-pound title against former world champion Isaac \u201cPitbull\u201d Cruz. Rodriguez reported that the fight is being discussed for either August 22 or September 5 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":346384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[33527,4011,1253,14114,9886,9887,4940,2530,1148],"class_list":["post-346383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-antuanne","tag-cruz","tag-fight","tag-gary","tag-isaac","tag-pitbull","tag-russell","tag-talks","tag-title"],"aioseo_notices":[{"message":"The permalink for this post just changed! 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