“Pitbullmania is back.”

That was the sentiment an excited and bullish Sean Gibbons shared with The Ring regarding the 5 foot 4 inch wrecking ball he promotes in Isaac Cruz, who returns Saturday to face Angel Fierro at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The roller coaster ride that is Cruz (26-3-1, 18 KOs) has needed repair following his split decision loss to Jose Valenzuela in August. The fan-favorite Mexican contender Cruz couldn’t carry the momentum of Pitbullmania and defend the WBA 140-pound title he won in March following a convincing knockout win against Rolando Romero.

At the time, Cruz’s win against Romero was his fourth in a row and third by stoppage since giving Gervonta Davis a tough fight during a decision loss in 2021. But Valenzuela halted all of Cruz’s mounting momentum.

Fierro (23-2-2, 18 KOs) is expected to reignite Cruz’s flame.

“This fight means everything to me because it’s Mexico vs. Mexico, and everyone knows what happens when two Mexicans collide. It’s gonna be a war for sure,” said Cruz. “I’m very excited for this opportunity. It’s going to be a great showcase and I can’t wait for February 1.”

Gibbons said he needs to be careful in ensuring the hard-charging, power-punching Cruz only faces opponents who’ll bring out the best of him moving forward. That means no more matchups with slick boxers like Valenzuela and Giovanni Cabrera, who forced Cruz to box in 2023 to land a narrow split decision.

“The styles make fights. Fierro is a fan-friendly fight. It excites me,” said Gibbons. “Valenzuela’s style was terrible. He was running more, and moving. The fight against Fierro is good old Mexican style. This fight stylistically is like the Ward-Gotti, Morales-Barrera, and Orlando Salido-type of fights. When I’m excited, it's going to be a good fight and a good night.

“Matchmaking is everything. No one wants to see boxing and moving when you can see two guys throwing down ... Moving forward, it's all about making fights that people want to see, and it starts with Angel Fierro – don't sleep on him. Just because people don't know him or have not seen him a lot, he's an Erik Morales-trained guy who comes to rumble. After Fierro, it's guys like Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis who we want – guys who just come to fight. That's the focus. There is no interest in Devin Haney or Shakur Stevenson. They are not great styles.”

All signs pointed toward Cruz facing Garcia in May but Cruz preferred not to commit to the clash because he wanted to fully concentrate on the gritty Fierro.

“I don’t want to be too eager in the ring, I just want to achieve my goal on February 1 and get my hand raised,” said Cruz. “I’m sharpening my tools so I can be at my best when that bell rings.

“I learn from every fight, so I don’t ever consider a fight a loss. It’s given me the opportunity to look at things from another perspective. I promise that I’m coming back even stronger.”

Cruz vs. Fierro will take place on the undercard of the light heavyweight fight between David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) and Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) on Prime Video pay per view.