Andy Cruz crushes Antonio Moran via seventh-round KO

LOS ANGELES – Andy Cruz was momentarily tested, but the touted lightweight landed a titanic right hand in his tussle against Antonio Moran, crushing the Mexican contender to score the second knockout of his ascending career Saturday at BMO Stadium.

Cruz connected with a well-timed power jab and rocked Moran in the opening seconds of the seventh round and went on the offensive for the rest of the frame, following the wounded Moran around the ring to hurt him multiple times. 

In the final seconds of the fight, the 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) connected with another big overhand right hand, forcing Moran (30-7-1, 21 KOs) to slump into the ropes. Referee Gerard White ruled the sequence a knockdown, and as Moran tried to get his feet under him, he stumbled face-first into the opposite corner on shaky legs, forcing White to wave off the fight at the 2:59 mark.

Cruz outlanded Moran 125 to 58. Moran was busier than Cruz, throwing 333 shots compared to 316, but Cruz was more accurate, connecting on 40 percent of his total punches and 45 percent of his power punches.

Cruz kicked off the fight comfortably, establishing his speed, range and distance to unleash sharp jabs and quick counter right hands. 

Moran had his best moment in the fight in the fourth round but failed to capitalize. In the final 30 seconds of the round, Moran rocked Cruz with a hard left hook to the ear and wobbled him. Cruz quickly went on the defensive and backpedaled around the ring to avoid further damage before holding as the bell sounded.

Cruz recovered as the fifth round started, but it was evident he wasn't unleashing the right hand as frequently as he had before.

Moran continued turning up the heat in the sixth, walking down Cruz and blasting him with several combinations, specifically to the body. But Cruz held up and countered with his power jab, the same shot that ultimately helped him seal the deal in the seventh. 

Cruz, a 28-year-old who is trained by Bozy Ennis, the father and coach of IBF welterweight titleholder Jaron Ennis, is already ranked as a top 10 lightweight by three of the major four sanctioning bodies.

Moran, a 31-year-old from Mexico, came into the matchup having knocked out Romero Duno in January and with losses to quality opposition through the years, including the likes of Devin Haney, Arnold Barboza Jr., Jose Pedraza and Jamaine Ortiz. 

In a prelim fight not included on the broadcast, Terence Crawford's teammate Steven Nelson beat Marcos Vazquez into submission, dropping the previously unbeaten Mexican three times en route to a fifth-round knockout in their super middleweight matchup.

Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) busted the nose of Vazquez (20-1-1, 10 KOs) in the third round and scored a knockdown with a straight right hand, but referee Ray Corona did not initially rule it a knockdown. Vazquez was clearly hurt, and Nelson made sure to capitalize and scored an official knockdown with another hard right hand soon after.

In between rounds, the California State Athletic Commission utilized instant replay and reversed Corona’s ruling, officially awarding Nelson with two knockdowns in the round.

In the fifth round, Nelson, a 36-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, crushed Vazquez, a 34-year-old from Mexico, with a sharp uppercut, dropping him for a third and final time. 

On his knees, Vazquez failed to make a real attempt to get back up, forcing Corona to stop his count at six and wave off the action at the 50-second mark of the round. 

In the opener, welterweights Ziyad Almaayou (5-0-1, 1 KO) and Michal Bulik (6-7-1, 2 KOs) kicked off the eight-fight show with a competitive six-round clash that resulted in a majority draw.

Two judges scored the fight 57-57, and a third had it 59-55 for Almaayou. 

Almaayou (5-0-1, 1 KO), a 24-year-old Los Angeles-based Saudi Arabian contender, survived a tough test from the gritty Bulik (6-7-1, 2 KOs), a 35-year-old Polish southpaw who gave the undefeated Almaayou all that he could handle.

The Buddy McGirt-trained Almaayou started strong but faded in the second half of the fight as Bulik went on to draw blood and knock out the mouthpiece of the rocked and winded Almaayou.

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.