Lightweight contender Andy Cruz is looking forward to a 10-round bout against veteran Antonio Moran this Saturday night at the Riyadh Season event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
(Credit: Amanda Westcott/Matchroom)
Cruz (3-0, 1 KO), a 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist, will be looking to gain further experience with a win against Moran (30-6-1, 20 KOs) on a card that will air on DAZN and ESPN+ PPV.
Explore the Cruise Experience
Although Cruz has only fought three times as a professional, three organizations rank him in the top 10, and many fans consider him one of the top three fighters in the 135-pound division behind Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn is promoting Cruz as someone who wants to challenge for a world title in 2025. Hearn will need to find a top-class contender willing to fight Cruz, as he is already struggling to find an opponent.
Cruz's former victim, Keyshawn Davis, has denied the possibility of fighting him. Keyshawn's lack of interest in fighting Cruz is not a problem for the talented Cuban, who sees this as a father-son fight, having beaten Davis four times in their amateur years.
“I expect it to be a tough challenge. My opponent is very experienced. He's obviously much more experienced than me on the professional side of the sport,” Andy Cruz told Title Sports Network about his bout against Antonio Moran on Saturday night, August 3, on air and on DAZN ESPN+ PPV.
A knockout win over Moran would generate even more interest from fans, as Cruz trains at the same gym as Jaron “Boots” Ennis and could have an advantage in emulating Ennis' style in the pros.
The history of Cruise and Keyshawn Davis
“Tests like this help you in the future. We have a bit of history. We fought four times as amateurs. All four went well, but they were all close,” Andy Cruz said of Keyshawn Davis.
It is unlikely that Keyshawn would agree to fight Cruz because he is a bad matchup for the Virginia native who is looking for money fights. Cruz could ruin Keyshawn's plans. If Keyshawn wants to make a name for himself, he would fight Cruz and show that he can avenge his losses.
“We have a long history together. We know each other so well that we always have things to talk about. I think Keyshawn wants it a little bit more than I do,” Crews said of Keyshawn. “He's a little bit more nervous, and I'm a little bit more relaxed. If anything, I think it'll be more of a father-son encounter.”
It's understandable that Keyshawn is still upset about losing four times to Crews, who outclassed him in each of their matches and showed he wasn't worthy of his level.
Looking ahead to future challenges
“For me, it's the legends of the division. Lomachenko, Tank, Shakur. They're dream opponents,” Cruz said of who he'd like to face at lightweight. “There are so many outstanding fighters in this division. It's going to be hard to pick one.”
Of the three people Cruz wants to fight, Shakur seems the more likely because he is hungry for a big fight and seems willing to take on anyone.
