Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz sends message to Cuban countrymen
Jul 31, 2024 • 7:30 PM ET
SANTA MONICA, California – One thing Cuba’s Andy Cruz has proven he can do is win fights in the Olympics, so even if he’s not entered in these Summer Games in Paris, he has the opportunity to further his professional ambitions Saturday in Los Angeles.
On a high-profile card at BMO Stadium that Cruz (3-0) calls his most important professional bout yet, the 2020 Olympic lightweight gold medalist will meet veteran Antonio Moran (30-6-1, 21 KOs) in a lightweight meeting that should bolster his current top-10 rankings among three sanctioning bodies.
“For sure, I reckon it’s a fight that’s going to open lots of doors for me for bigger fights into the future,” Cruz told BoxingScene at the fighters’ grand arrivals at the Santa Monica Pier on Tuesday.
Cruz participates in a loaded division that includes titleholders Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko and consensus No. 1 contender William Zepeda.
The 28-year-old Cruz arrives with the pedigree of being a product of the gold-standard Cuban amateur system, and he has lost only two rounds on one judge’s scorecard through 23 professional rounds.
He said he is not calling out any champion.
“It’s all about fighting the best, and I want to fight all of them,” he said. “It’s just a question of time.”
Cruz admits he is keeping his eye on the Paris Games, and wanted to deliver a message to his Cuban countrymen who are still competing: flyweight Alejandro Claro, lightweight Erislandy Alvarez and middleweight Arlen Lopez.
“For sure, I have a message for them: Stay in each fight, see how it’s progressing,” Cruz said. “Show your talent, because you all know you have talent. Make sure you’re in the mix toward the end of the fight and give your extra grains of sand [effort] toward winning medals for Cuba, because it’s a great honor to do so.”
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
