Moving To 130 Remains Wrong Strategy

Does Cruz belong at lightweight?

The easy answer is no because Raymond Muratalla defeated him in an IBF title fight. That overlooks the circumstances.

Muratalla is one of the division’s biggest fighters. He’s not the standard for every lightweight. Cruz also fought a style that played into Muratalla’s strengths, relying on movement and single shots instead of sitting down on his punches and forcing the champion to respect his power.

The Montoya fight suggested Cruz (7-1, 4 KOs) had already begun making adjustments.

Against Montoya, he planted his feet more often, committed to combinations and sat down on his punches. The third-round stoppage showed a more assertive version of the Cuban Olympian than the one who challenged Muratalla.

The performance did not prove Cruz suddenly became a devastating puncher. It did suggest his team recognized the tactical mistake against Muratalla and corrected it.

Any promoter that signs Cruz should resist sending him to 130 simply because he lost one championship fight. He deserves another opportunity against a quality lightweight using the more aggressive style displayed against Montoya.

At 30, Cruz doesn’t have time for a lengthy rebuilding process after an accomplished amateur career. His next promoter should focus on securing meaningful fights instead of assuming one defeat settled the question of his best weight class.

If Cruz is truly a free agent, the promoter that benefits most may be the one that trusts his ability at lightweight instead of rushing him into another division after a single defeat.