Andy Cruz showed his class last Saturday night and defeated Brayan Zamarripa unanimously at the Caribe Royale Hotel, Orlando, to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) Continental Latin America Lightweight crown.
The Cuban came to his third professional fight and made a great exhibition against an experienced opponent, whom he dominated with 100-90 scorecards by the three judges in a 10-round bout.
Cruz has shown all the skills that have earned him a reputation as a great fighter in his amateur career. He has also demonstrated a tremendous ability to adapt to the professional style with some awe-inspiring performances.
Andy Cruz is an elite
The 28-year-old fighter showed elite defense, and his opponent was barely able to connect on 13% of his punches, according to Compubox stats, highlighting his ability to dodge punches and his incredible defense.
But Cruz was dedicated to defending himself and threw almost triple the number of punches his opponent had, exceeding 600. He worked very well with his power punches and gave a great show from every point of view to demonstrate that he is a complete fighter.
The Matanzas native won his third professional fight and remains undefeated with a knockout, while Zamarripa dropped to 14 wins and three losses.
Yaniel Rivera
The fight between Yaniel Rivera and Andy Domรญnguez for the WBA Continental American flyweight title was one of the most exciting fights of the weekend. Rivera won great for his career after dominating Dominguez in Orlando, Florida.
The fight was exciting because it pitted two young and undefeated rivals who had many qualities, and the fight was quite competitive even though the Puerto Rican got wide cards of 99-91 by the three judges.
The “Doctorcito” had to do an excellent job to win as he countered Dominguez’s aggressiveness with great speed and defense, besides punishing him hard.
The bout served Rivera to show the best of his boxing and make everything look easy despite the insistent attack of Dominguez throughout the fight. The Caribbean boxer worked very well at all distances and caused a lot of swelling on the Mexican’s face, as evidenced by his excellent attack in the fight.
Rivera won the continental belt and passed a test that made him a serious prospect. With his fifth win, he remains undefeated, while Dominguez now has a record of 10 wins and one loss.