Friday’s weigh-in drama has reshuffled the MGM Grand PPV card: Mexico’s Angel Fierro fell ill during his cut and withdrew from Saturday’s junior-welterweight rematch with Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman confirmed the scratch after Fierro was taken to hospital.
Cruz, 27-3-1 (18 KOs), now faces fellow Mexican Omar Salcido - already on the bill to meet Brian Gallegos and conveniently on weight at 140 lbs. Salcido (20-2, 14 KOs) last appeared in January, dropping a decision to Andy Cruz, but his trainer José Benavidez Sr. sees the sudden upgrade as “a big opportunity… we’re ready, we’re excited.”
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Fierro, 23-3-2 (18 KOs), had produced a February fight-of-the-year candidate with Cruz, rocking “Pitbull” before losing a unanimous nod. Thursday’s face-off promised more fireworks - “We’re two runaway trains without brakes,” Fierro said - only for Friday’s weight-cut crisis to derail the sequel.
The new Cruz-Salcido matchup remains on the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios pay-per-view that also features Sebastian Fundora vs. Tim Tszyu II. The stakes shift, but Cruz insists the mission stays the same: keep charging forward, no matter who’s across the ring.
Image Credit: PBC