LAS VEGAS -- Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz listened for weeks as Rolly Romero mocked and demeaned him, wore a necklace with his face on a chihuahua's body and for the most part questioned his boxing skill.
Cruz said little in return to the talkative Romero except to tell fans to watch.
Those who did saw him deliver a dominant, one-sided performance, stopping an overmatched Romero at 56 seconds of the eighth round to win the WBA super lightweight title in the co-main event of their bout Saturday before 14,726 at T-Mobile Arena.
The end came in Cruz's corner, when he crushed Romero with a left hook on the chin. Romero was clearly damaged and Cruz followed it with a blistering right hand. Two more shots and referee Thomas Taylor pulled Cruz off and gave him the most signifcant win of his career.
Romero, who got a gift win by stoppage over Ismael Barroso last year to win the WBA belt, was never really in the fight. Cruz pressured from the beginning and hurt him early in the first round with a looping right to the head.
Romero was wobbled several times during the fight and never really got untracked.
"I saved my talking for the ring," said Cruz, who is now 26-2-1 with 18 KOs.
Cruz landed 121 of 319 punches, all of them blistering hard shots delivered with mean intentions. Romero felt Cruz's power early and he used his legs as best he could. He also held a lot and was deducted a point in the fifth for pulling Cruz's head down.
He just couldn't get untracked as Cruz was on point throughout.
"I was prepared for this," Cruz said. "I wasn't here to just fight. I was here to terminate him. ... I did my talking right here in the ring. And I did this not just for me but for everybody that is here at T-Mobile Arena. There's going to be a Mexican champ at 140 pounds for a long time.
“I feel great! Here were the fruits of four months of hard work reaping their rewards. This is priceless. It was just a matter of time, but damn if it doesn’t feel good to be a world champion. I fought with the intention to leave the decision out of the judges’ hands. Mission accomplished."
The win sets him up for big fights in a division with big-name opponents like Devin Haney, Teofimo Lopez and Ryan Garcia.