For many people, be they fans or experts, 135-pounder Andy Cruz is THE most exciting and talented prospect in the world right now. In fact, some would go further, and say the gifted Cuban is already beyond prospect level, that he is a contender. Cruz, who went pro in July of this year, winning a wide decision over Juan Carlos Burgos, then suffered an injury and had to wait until December to fight again.
When the former amateur standout (Olympic gold, Pan Am gold, World Amateur Championship gold) fought again, he absolutely sizzled in stopping Jovanni Straffon in three rounds. Now, it’s been confirmed how 28 year old Cruz, who signed a big deal with Matchroom prior to his pro debut, will fight again on February 24, this on the Edgar Berlanga-Padraig McCrory card in Orlando, Florida.
This is great news for all fans who cannot wait to see Cruz in action again. Hugely impressive and seemingly a sure thing for way more than one world title and possibly true greatness, Cruz might be making some of us get ahead of ourselves in terms of how much he can accomplish. But anyone who has seen Cruz box knows how easy it has been to get so excited about him. Facing Cruz on February 24 will be Mexico’s Brayan Zamarripa, who is currently 14-2(5). Zamarripa has never been knocked down in a pro fight, let alone stopped, but this may well change when he gets in there with Cruz, 2-0(1).
To repeat, so many people are hugely excited about Cruz, about his ability, and about how great he can become. Eddie Hearn has said he wants to see Cruz have a far more active 2024 compared to his two-fight 2023 and that Cruz will take a step up in class very soon. The next chapter in Cruz’s career gets underway in February, and hopefully, we will get to see Cruz fight as many as five or six fights in 2024.
So far, at the pro level, Cruz has given us all a tantalizing glimpse of what he’s capable of. How much more we will see from Cruz in the coming year will likely be reliant on the quality of his opposition. Some people feel Cruz is so good he could be matched with a top contender right now. It really does seem to be a matter of time before Cruz fights for and wins his first world title.
2023’s Prospect of the Year? It has to be the man from Matanzas, Cuba.
