Andy Cruz vs Juan Carlos Burgos Preview July 15th, 2023
2021 Olympic lightweight gold medalist Andy Cruz of Cuba makes his pro debut this Saturday, July 15th when he takes on veteran Juan Carlos Burgos of Mexico. The 10-round lightweight tilt from Detroit, Michigan can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Burgos last fought in December when he dropped an eight-round unanimous decision to Keyshawn Davis for the vacant WBO Intercontinental Lightweight Title. Davis was the silver medal winner at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as he was edged by Cruz in the final by a split decision.
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Cruz vs Burgos Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Juan Carlos Burgos +1200
- Andy Cruz -3300
My Pick
The 27-year-old Cruz reportedly went 140-9 as an amateur star with 10 Ko’s. He captured gold medals at the 2017 Pan American Championships; the 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games; the 2017, 2019 and 2021 World Championships and the Olympics. He’s been training in Philadelphia for his pro debut under the tutelage of Derek Ennis after inking a three-year deal with Matchroom Boxing. Cruz measures 5-feet-9-inches tall and currently has an unlisted reach.
Cruz possesses excellent speed, timing, ring IQ and jab but isn’t known to be the most powerful puncher out there. He’s been getting used to his new surroundings with Ennis and his son Jaron, the current interim IBF Welterweight champion. Cruz beat Keyshawn Davis several times as an amateur, usually in gold-medal matches, and also beat Elvis Rodriguez several times. In addition, he also competed in the World Series of Boxing several years ago.
Burgos is now 35 years old and climbs through the ring ropes with a mark of 35-7-3 with 21 Ko’s. He turned pro back in 2004 and has 309 rounds of experience under his belt. He stands just over 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 68.5-inch reach so has just a half-inch edge in height on Cruz. He’s not known as a heavy hitter either as he has average power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 46.7 per cent.
Burgos has had three world title shots in his career but he was beaten by Hozumi Hasegawa via a unanimous decision in 2010 in Japan for the vacant WBC Featherweight Title then took on Roman Martinez in 2013 and managed a split decision draw in a shot at the WBO Super Featherweight Crown. He had another shot at the WBO Super Featherweight Belt in 2014 but lost a unanimous decision to Mikey Garcia. Since turning pro, Burgos has won the WBC Super Silver Featherweight Title and the WBO Latino Super Featherweight Title.
His other defeats came at the hands of Devin Haney by 12-round unanimous decision for the vacant IBF North American Lightweight Title in 2018, to Hector Tanajara by 10-round unanimous decision for the WBC United States Lightweight Crown in 2020, to Xavier Martinez and Stirling Castillo by 10-round unanimous decisions in 2021 and to Keyshawn Davis in his last outing. His other draws were with Yakubu Amidu over 12 rounds in 2013 and over 10 rounds with Angel Fierro in March, 2022.
Burgos has beaten some solid boxers during his career with wins over the likes of Vyacheslav Gusev, Ricardo Castillo, Frankie Archuleta, Luis Cruz, Cristobal Cruz and Cesar Vazquez but has fallen short when stepping up in class. Burgos has decent power, quick hands a solid chin and is quite mobile in the ring, but he’s going to be facing one of the top young lightweights prospects in the world in Cruz and it’s definitely not going to be easy.
Prediction…
Burgos has never been stopped as a pro and Cruz isn’t known for his power so it will be interesting to see what unfolds here. Cruz is jumping in at the deep end by attempting to go 10 rounds in his pro debut, so needs to be in top condition. He’s eight years younger than Burgos, and possesses better speed and skills but there’s also a lot of pressure on him to succeed. Things don’t always work out as planned though as two-time Olympic Champion Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba lost his pro debut to the unknown Adan Gonzales in 2019 and was dropped in the opening minute of their four-rounder. This will be a bit of a test for Cruz but it’s one he should pass by coming out of the ring with a win.
Cruz has a bid edge in skills and is eight years younger than Burgos.
Play Davis -2500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Andy Cruz betting • Juan Burgos betting • Juan Carlos Burgos betting