Andy Cruz has a chance to lock himself in as the mandatory for IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla if he’s victorious in his IBF title eliminator against Hironori Mishiro this Saturday, June 14th. Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) faces Mishiro (17-1-1, 6 KOs) at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York. The event will be shown on DAZN.
Cruz: Better Than Main Event
Andy Cruz vs. Hironori Mishiro is the 12-round chief support bout on the Richardson Hitchins vs. George Kambosos Jr. card. Some fans would argue that this should be the main event because Cruz is a far better talent than the non-crowd pleaser, Hitchins, and the fading ex-champion, Kambosos.
Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) was elevated to full IBF champion status following Vasily Lomachenko’s retirement. Now, he may have to deal with Andy Cruz as his mandatory opponent if the Cuban star wins on Saturday against Mishiro.
Muratalla won’t vacate his IBF title, but it might not end well for him if he does face Cruz. He’s likely going to stall the title defense against Cruz for as long as possible. The IBF will give Muratalla 9 to 12 months to defend against Andy before they move to strip him.
Salcido: Muratalla’s Style Twin
In Cruz’s last fight, he beat a similar fighter to Muratalla, the big puncher Omar Salcido, on January 25th, coming close to pitching a shutout in a lopsided 10-round unanimous decision win. Salcido was a pure copy of Muratalla in terms of power and fighting style. He looked helpless against Cruz.
Hearn Fast-Tracks Andy Cruz
Cruz has been avoided since turning pro following his 2020 Olympic gold medal win against Keyshawn Davis. The way the Cuban talent Cruz schooled Keyshawn in that fight made him a person to swerve in the pro ranks. Cruz was wise to sign with promoter Eddie Hearn, who has fast-tracked him to get him this IBF title eliminator after only five fights. Hearn believes Cruz is just a “couple of fights” away from challenging for a world title.
It’s questionable why the IBF has given Mishiro a #5 ranking with their organization, because his wins have come against exclusively lesser opponents. There’s not one win on Mishiro’s eight-year resume that went against a top-tier fighter. In 2023, Mishiro lost to a fighter named Min Ho Jung (19-5-2, 5 KOs).
Mishiro’s Last Six Opponents
– Hinata Maruta
– Kazuaki Miyamoto
– Shuma Nakazato
– Hiromasa Urakawa
– Yongchao Sheng
– Min Ho Jung
It doesn’t look good for Mishiro going up against Cruz on Saturday night. Unless Mishiro shows some hidden talent that he’s kept locked away his entire career, he’s going to lose badly.
Last Updated on 06/09/2025
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