Vasiliy Lomachenko’s decision to call time on his illustrious career could work in the favor of Andy Cruz.
Lomachenko had been flirting with the possibility of walking away from the sport since his win over George Kambosos Jnr for the IBF lightweight title back in May 2024. The great Ukrainian turned down a chance to unify the division against Gervonta Davis, citing a lack of motivation as the reason after winning back his IBF title. He then had surgery on a back injury and declared that he was going to take his time to decide if he would continue in the sport.
The IBF then called for Raymond Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev to fight for their interim title back in May while Lomachenko recovered from surgery and made a decision on his retirement. Muratalla won the contest via a 12-round unanimous decision, and Lomachenko on Thursday finally announced he would be hanging up the gloves for good. Muratalla is expected to be upgraded to full champion by the IBF in the coming days.
That leaves lightweight contender Cruz in a strong position. He has been working his way up the IBF world rankings since making the decision to turn professional back in 2023. The Olympic gold medalist and three-time world amateur champion turned his back on the unpaid ranks and in just five professional contests has cemented himself as one of the best at 135lbs.
Cruz will fight in a final eliminator against Hironori Mishiro on June 14 to decide the mandatory challenger for the IBF strap, and will likely then be ordered to face Muratalla.
“Andy Cruz is in a great position,” Frank Smith, of Cruz's promoter Matchroom, told BoxingScene. “He fights for a final eliminator on June 14, he'll then be the mandatory, depending on what they do with the interim champion. I'd guess they'd move him up [to full champion] and then hopefully make that fight for the title. So Andy Cruz is in a great position.
“Let's be honest: The only way someone's going to choose to fight Andy Cruz is if they're mandated to do so, so I'm glad we got him in that position and excited about what the future holds for him.”
Tom Ivers is an amateur boxer who has a masters degree in sports journalism. He had his first bout in 2013, joined BoxingScene in 2024 and is now a key part of the UK and social media teams.