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Lamont Roach came from behind in his fight with Isaac "Pitbull" Cruz on Saturday, but was once again denied a win after judges ruled their showdown for the WBC interim super lightweight title in San Antonio as a majority draw.

Commentators on the PBC Prime Video broadcast immediately called the result "controversial," and though Roach appeared disheartened, it was familiar territory for the American boxer, who was infamously robbed of a win against Gervonta "Tank" Davis this past March.

“I've proved I'll fight anyone, even outside my natural weight,” the 30-year-old fumed at his post-fight press conference inside the Frost Bank Center.

“I moved up against a tough competitor, [but to be denied] two times in a row? That's crazy. I can't fight my opponent and the judges. We've got to do something about it.”

With 191 punches finding their target from 467 thrown, Roach out-landed Cruz (159-of-544), and he was more accurate too. Roach out-landed Cruz in eight rounds, was more active with his jab, and connected on 48.8% of his power punches for good measure, according to Compubox data.

Regardless, one judge scored a 115-111 fight for Cruz but was overruled by two 113-113 cards.

“I think I won, and I definitely outboxed him,” Roach said. “All I need is an even playing field, that's all.”

Roach turned up to the media event with ice on his right hand, and said he felt it break in the fifth round. “I just remember when I came back to the corner [and telling them], ‘I think I broke my hand.’ In the next round, he jabbed me and I blocked it. It hurt. It's f*****," he said.

“I still continued to throw it, there were openings, but my hand was really, really hurting. I'm not trying to make that an excuse, and I used everything else I had. I got out of the way of his punches for the most part. When I wanted to exchange, I was winning the exchanges. I was catching the punches and slipping his punches.

“I don't want to make this [injury] an excuse. I thought I did enough to win with one hand.”

Roach had to overcome a third-round knockdown to even be competitive in the fight, before making his case for the victory in the late rounds. “I wasn't hurt,” he said of the sequence in which he was caught off-balance and the referee correctly ruled his glove had touched the canvas.

“He just hit me with a good shot. We exchanged, I was on my back foot, and I stumbled,” said Roach. “My glove touched the ground, so that's an official knockdown.”

A former WBA champion from the super featherweight division, Roach has made pound-for-pound moves in 2025 yet left the ring frustrated in both outings, returning from fights with "Tank" Davis and Cruz with draws and nothing more.

For Roach, the injury will heal, but the feeling of being robbed twice may not. 

“It was a hell of a fight,” he said. “I think the best thing to do is move forward with an immediate rematch. I just wish it was an even playing field.”