Fresh off a promising start to his professional career, Cuban standout Andy Cruz is expected to meet Hironori Mishiro of Japan in an IBF lightweight eliminator this summer.
Japan’s Mishiro, 30, is a former OPBF super featherweight titlist last seen in December defeating Hinata Maruta by decision. The bout is targeted for the undercard of the proposed IBF junior welterweight title contest between champion Richardson Hitchins and former unified lightweight king George Kambosos Jr., slated for June 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn envisions a scenario where the Cruz-Mishiro winner will be on track to challenge the victor of the May 10 IBF interim title clash between Raymond Muratella and Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev. With Vasiliy Lomachenko currently considered the IBF’s “permanent” champion at 135, Hearn hopes Cruz can maneuver into a mandatory position: “We need to get him mandatory, ‘cause no one’s gonna fight him,” he said.
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Although a showdown with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson has piqued fans’ interest, Hearn insists the priority for Stevenson remains a high-profile collision with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Still, Hearn concedes that should Cruz capture an IBF belt, a unification down the line with Stevenson is “why not?” territory. “We’re just negotiating with Golden Boy to do the [Stevenson-William] Zepeda fight at the end of the summer. In America,” he added.
Cruz has been training under Derek “Bozy” Ennis alongside the likes of Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Stephen Fulton Jr. According to Ennis, Cruz is fully prepared for title-level competition despite having just five professional fights. “Andy’s smart, man. He’s another one,” said Ennis. “He’s wanting to fight - he’s sounding on everybody. I think there was something with Abdullah Mason, too, but he’ll fight whoever. It’s up to the promoters.”
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