The retirement of the legendary Vasiliy Lomachenko has done more than close an era; it has blown open the lightweight title picture, and no one is better positioned to seize the moment than Andy Cruz. The Cuban Olympic icon, unbeaten in five paid outings, now finds himself one win away from a mandatory shot at freshly elevated IBF champion Raymond Muratalla.
Cruz’s opportunity arrives this Saturday, June 14, when he meets Japan’s slick Hironori Mishiro in a final eliminator at Madison Square Garden’s Theater. Promoter Frank Smith is frank about the stakes: “The only way anyone chooses to fight Andy is if they’re ordered to, so getting him into the mandatory slot was crucial.” Forty-eight hours after Lomachenko’s exit became official, Cruz’s path is suddenly uncluttered: beat Mishiro and the IBF will instruct Muratalla to defend.
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Muratalla, who out-pointed Zaur Abdullaev in May to claim the interim belt, inherits Lomachenko’s throne by decree—but he will not inherit an easy first defense. Cruz is already drawing whispers of “future pound-for-pound” after translating his stellar amateur footwork into the pro code with alarming speed. Matchroom’s brains trust believes the timing is perfect: Lomachenko leaves; Cruz, 29, is entering his physical prime.
Standing in the way is Mishiro, a rangy counter-puncher whose only two defeats came at featherweight. Yet bookmakers already list Cruz a commanding favorite, banking on his blend of angles, discipline, and ring IQ to out-class the Japanese contender over twelve brisk rounds.
Should that script hold, a Muratalla-Cruz showdown looms for late 2025—an irresistible clash of styles pitting the American’s volume and grit against perhaps the most decorated amateur of this century. Lomachenko’s shadow will still hover, but the spotlight—and the vacant seat on lightweight’s throne—now belong to Andy Cruz.
Image Credit: The Ring