Andy Cruz Scores A Sensational 7th Round TKO

Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KO) saw an opening in the seventh round and took it as he stopped an extremely tough Antonio Moran (30-7-1, 21 KOs). Although there were moments when Moran looked like he was getting the better of his opponent, Cruz remained patient and landed the straight right hand that worked for him all fight long, ending the fight.

Moran began the fight aggressively while Cruz was just taking it all in. The weather may have something to do with Cruz starting slowly, as it was close to 90 degrees at the beginning of the fight. Cruz wanted to establish his left jab but found himself on the back foot most of the round. Cruz wasted no time to get on the front foot with his lead left jab in the second round and straight right hand. Cruz would also feint and land a hard left hook to the body. Moran was right there with Cruz and, throwing combinations in between shots.

In the third round, Cruz applied even more pressure, and when he landed a left jab on Moran’s body, it hurt him. Luckily for Moran, the bell rang to end the round. Although Cruz had good movement in the fourth round, Moran landed a left hook that stunned Cruz and had him backpedaling. Moran’s volume was a problem for Cruz during that round.

Moran’s pressure was getting to Cruz in the fifth round, forcing him to switch to southpaw to see if giving Moran a different look would slow him down. Moran’s offense was overwhelming for Cruz during most of the round. Cruz tried his best to evade Moran’s offense while figuring out the best adjustment to make during the sixth round. Moran appeared winded during the last 30 seconds of the round, and Cruz took advantage of that.

Moran looked drained in the seventh round, and that’s when Cruz landed his right hand, sending Moran to tumble to the ropes. The referee rightfully called it a knockdown as the ropes held him up, but when the referee asked for Moran to walk to the corner, he stumbled and nearly fell again, prompting the stoppage. Cruz showed great Ring IQ, toughness, and patience in this fight.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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