Andy Cruz: Can The ‘Super Special’ Cuban Become The Best Lightweight In The World?
Andy Cruz will return to the ring in just under one month when the Cuban takes his place on the undercard of the August 3 mega-event in Los Angeles.
Terence Crawford will be the big star of the show when he aims to become a three-weight world champion against WBA super-welterweight belt holder Israil Madrimov. The stacked card will also feature former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz, reigning WBA super-lightweight world champion Isaac Cruz, former junior-middleweight world champion Tim Tszyu, and unbeaten David Morrell competing for a light-heavyweight world title.
Yet, of all the fighters on this impressive Riyadh Season undercard, it’s Cruz, competing in just his fourth professional bout, who has the highest ceiling of them all.
When Matchroom Boxing signed the Cuban in May 2023, its chairman Eddie Hearn predicted that the Cuban “may be our greatest ever signing”. For a promoter who’s guided the careers of Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor, and many other decorated world champions, it was a huge statement.
So, ahead of his bout with experienced Mexican Antonio Moran, it’s the ideal opportunity to profile Cruz and see if the hype is real.
Cruz Was One Of The Greatest Amateurs Of All Time
When Cruz entered the professional ranks last year, he did so after one of the finest amateur careers in history. The Cuban amassed an official amateur record of 135 wins against just nine losses and won every major title going.
He won three World Championship gold medals (2017, 2019, and 2021), two golds at the Pan American Games in 2015 and 2019, gold at the 2017 Pan American Championship, and four golds at the Cuban National Championships. All were achieved at light-welterweight except for the 2015 Pan-Am Games title, which he won at bantamweight.
Then came the crowning glory for any amateur boxer: a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, when he defeated current professional lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis in the final. He also beat Davis in the 2019 Pan-Am Games final and the 2019 World Championship final.
Cruz Won A Title On His Pro Debut
Such was the Cuban’s extraordinary amateur pedigree and the impressive profile he took into the professional ranks, there were no four- or six-round bouts early in his career to adjust.
Instead, Cruz jumped straight into 10-rounders and won his first belt on debut, dominating Juan Carlos Burgos in July 2023 to claim the vacant IBF international lightweight title. So dominant was Cruz against Burgos – a three-time world title challenger at featherweight – two of the three judges gave him every round.
In his second pro fight in December last year, Cruz defended his belt emphatically with a third-round knockout of Jovanni Straffon, another experienced Mexican. The Cuban’s third and most recent victory was another masterclass, earning a shutout victory over Brayan Zamarripa Rodriguez in April.
Moran will be the fourth Mexican Cruz has faced in as many fights, although he’s not the caliber of fighter Hearn had hoped Cruz would face next; the Matchroom boss had been aiming for a top-10 ranked opponent.
Why Did He Turn Pro So Late?
Like many Cuban boxers – and indeed athletes across all sports – the opportunity to turn professional was banned by the country’s communist government since 1962. It left Cuba’s many talented fighters with a tough choice: stay in their homeland and compete as an amateur, or defect and pursue professional ambitions.
Cruz, who didn’t turn pro until he was 27 years old, was one of the many Cubans to choose the latter option, although it wasn’t without its challenges. His first attempt to defect in June 2022 proved unsuccessful when Cruz no-showed a tournament in the hopes of escaping to the United States.
After he was caught, the Cuban Boxing Federation released a statement saying it was “informed that the athlete Andy Cruz Gomez took part in an attempt to illegally leave the country” and that he would face consequences for “serious indiscipline”.
Cruz was dropped from the Cuba national team and pulled from making his professional debut alongside other Cuban fighters in Mexico following the nation’s relaxation of its ban.
Around six months later, Cruz successfully made his way to the United States, and while various reports claimed he defected, the fighter himself insisted he made the move legally.
Finally given the chance to launch his pro career, Cruz was soon embroiled in a legal case after taking promoters New Champions Promotions to court over breach of contract.
How Good Is ‘Super Special’ Cruz?
Cruz may only be four fights into his pro career, but he is not the average novice, and Hearn is convinced he will be ready for a world title fight this year.
“Don’t tell me about these prospects at 135 pounds, give me all the top boys, this guy will beat them all,” Hearn said after Cruz demolished Straffon in December. “You think people like George Kambosos, Frank Martin can beat this kid now? No chance. Keyshawn Davis? No chance. This kid is super, super special.”
Ahead of his August 3 bout, Hearn added: “We have a real test in Moran, and Andy Cruz will be ready to fight for a championship this year.”
Ordinarily, such bold statements could be perceived as a promoter selling his fighter, but in this case, it has plenty of substance.
However, even for a talent as special as Cruz, the lightweight division is stacked with top-tier world champions, particularly in the three organizations in which he is highly ranked. The Cuban is currently ranked eighth by the IBF, WBC, and WBA and their current world champions are Vasiliy Lomachenko, Shakur Stevenson, and Gervonta Davis respectively.
If Cruz gets himself into a position to challenge one of these great champions, the boxing world will get to see how truly “super special” he is.
