Davis defends lightweight belt with thrilling decision win over Cruz

The Pitbull had a strong bite, but it still wasn't enough to topple Tank.

Gervonta Davis defended his WBA regular lightweight title with a thrilling unanimous decision victory over Isaac Cruz at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Davis ran his record to a perfect 26-0, but Cruz - who took the fight on short notice - made him work for it. Cruz didn't knock his opponent down, but he landed several blows over the course of the 12 rounds.

"He's definitely a warrior," Davis told Showtime after the fight. "I think that even though he didn't get the win, a star was born tonight."

Davis added that he hurt his left hand in the sixth round but didn't know yet if it was broken.

This was just the second time that Tank fought to a decision as a professional. His previous decision victory was in a six-round bout against German Meraz in 2014.

As far as his future goes, Davis isn't sweating any of his potential opponents at 135 pounds. The list of possible opponents for his next lightweight defense could include fellow lightweight titleholders George Kambosos Jr. and Devin Haney.

"All of those guys are easy work ... I'm the top dog," Davis said.

One of his possible challengers, Ryan Garcia, called Davis out on Twitter shortly after the fight.

Cruz, who took the fight after Rolly Romero dropped out following allegations of sexual assault, now owns a 22-2-1 record. This was the 23-year-old's first title fight.