Andy Cruz had to hit the ground running for his pro debut.
Far too much effort was put into fleeing from Cuba to the United States and positioning himself to enjoy a pro career. Once that opportunity arrived, the 2020 Olympic Gold medalist demanded the quickest path possible to rise to the top. With that has come a scheduled ten-round clash versus former two-time title challenger Juan Carlos Burgos, which will take place this Saturday on DAZN from Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan.
“Personally, I don’t believe in having easy tasks in boxing,” Cruz said of the thought process behind selecting such a dangerous fight for his first pro outing. “There are no easy tasks, no easy opponents. If you are given an easy opponent, there’s no real credibility with accepting those fights and tasks.
“What we chose to do is face an opponent who will challenge us, That’s what we deserve to give to the fans.”
Cruz-Burgos will serve as the chief support to the Alycia Baumgardner-Christina Linardatou rematch for Baumgardner’s undisputed junior lightweight championship.
Cruz excelled at the highest level during his stellar amateur career, which included three world championships and the top prize at lightweight during the delayed Tokyo Olympics. The latter achievement came in a win over current lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis, whom Cruz defeated four times in the amateurs including their August 2021 Olympic Gold medal match.
That history intertwines with the opponent selection for his pro debut. Tijuana’s Burgos (35-7-3, 21KOs) dropped an eight-round decision defeat to Davis (8-0, 6KOs) last December at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was yet another night where Burgos went the distance with either a rising prospect or reigning titleholder, as he has never been stopped in 45 pro fights.
“I am anticipating a great fight, a great challenge,” stated Cruz.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox