“We signed a new contract with Andy Cruz a couple of days before the fight,” Hearn said to Carlos Linares. “We still have fights with Andy Cruz.”
Obviously, it wasn’t a reward for a performance or a reaction to the result. It was a pre emptive move to secure his future. Matchroom is already discussing a return to the ring as early as May or June.
Cruz took a risky fight going up against the more experienced Muratalla, and he didn’t shame himself with his performance in losing a 12 round majority decision. Hearn pointed out that the 118 110 scorecard was a disgrace and argued that Cruz’s stock actually rose because of how he handled the nonstop pressure being put on him by Muratalla during the bout.
It was a fight that could have gone Cruz’s way because he was landing shots and getting out of the way of Muratalla. The two judges who sided with Raymond likely factored in his aggressiveness, even though it was rarely effective. He was just coming forward, cutting off the ring, missing repeatedly while eating jabs.
Hearn also mentioned the possibility of Cruz moving down to super featherweight. Andy hasn’t said whether he agrees with that idea. The problem with going down to 130 is the lack of big names.
Staying at lightweight gives Cruz the chance to potentially fight Shakur Stevenson, Abdullah Mason, Floyd Schofield, William Zepeda, and Lamont Roach. Those are well known fighters. By moving to 130 pounds, Cruz’s best options are Emanuel Navarrete or O’Shaquie Foster.
“I think his stock went up in that fight,” Hearn said about Cruz.
I wouldn’t say that Andy Cruz’s stock went up after this fight. If anything, it dropped badly by showing that he gives too much ground when pressured. The style that enabled him to win an Olympic gold medal in 2020, defense and movement, doesn’t work in the pro game.
Fighters have to stand their ground and engage more for the judges to score rounds in their favor. Shakur Stevenson gets away with fighting like that, but he’s a bigger name, a big social media talker, and that obviously helps. Cruz doesn’t have that working for him. So, he’s got to engage more, develop his inside game, and focus on improving his power.
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