Cuba’s Andy Cruz is going to start his pro career in rapid fashion, as he makes his debut in the paid ranks by facing dangerous veteran Juan Carlos Burgos on July 15 in Detroit as part of a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN.
Back in December of last year, Burgos (35-7-3, 21 KOs) lost a unanimous decision to Keyshawn Davis, who lost to Cruz in the gold medal round of the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games.
Cruz has been preparing in Philadelphia with experienced coach Bozy Ennis, who is best known for training his talented son, unbeaten welterweight Jaron Ennis.
“[Training has been] better than I thought and expected. It has flowed very naturally. They have accepted me very well in the team. They have treated me like family and the truth is that I feel very good here,” Cruz explained to George Ebro.
“I didn’t have much knowledge [of who Bozy Ennis was], but I had seen several fights with his son Jaron Ennis and he seemed to me to be an excellent boxer, with tremendous qualities. When I found out that [I would be working] with them, I told myself that it was going to take the turn out well.
“Everything flows super well. We have someone who translates for us, but on a day-to-day basis it is all natural, as if we have known each other for many years. [Transitioning from amateur to pro] hasn’t been that easy, but thank God I get it pretty quickly and here’s something that should be highlighted: a lot of work is done. Here you learn, because the work is constant.”
Cruz will be looking to put on a show when he faces Burgos, who besides the fight with Davis had previously challenged for a world title and went the distance with boxers like Mikey Garcia, Devin Haney and several others.
Burgos has never been stopped.
“I’m coming to show that I’m ready for any opponent and this is like a test. Anyone who knows me knows that I perform better when I’m under pressure. I want people to see a show, that I am able to fight for 10 rounds or less. If I can finish him before the limit, I’ll finish him. I want them to see me being aggressive, with other abilities that I had not been able to show in the amateurs,” Cruz said.
At some point in the future, Cruz does believe a fight in the pros with Davis will gain a lot of traction. Davis already has a pro record of 8-0, with 6 wins by knockout.
“It depends on me and on him, on how he advances in his career and on what I am able to demonstrate, but it is a fight that at some point is going to get interesting, at some point people are going to ask for it. I see things in myself that I didn’t think I could do. I came here to face the best. I showed everything I could in amateur boxing,” Cruz said.