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Keys to Victory: The areas that will decide Andy Cruz vs. Abraham Montoya
In just his seventh pro fight, Andy Cruz didn’t do enough late to defeat Raymond Muratalla and instead squandered his opportunity to become a lightweight world champion in January.
Tonight, roughly six months after his first loss, Cruz returns to the ring and aims to get back to a title shot. He faces Abraham Montoya at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, and live on DAZN. The bout serves as chief support to the Diego Pacheco vs. Immanuwel Aleem main event.
Cruz (6-1, 3 KOs) just couldn’t resolve Muratalla’s pressure and persistent punching late in their January fight and wound up being eked out by a majority decision loss. The Cuban standout will be striving to return to the win column tonight. To do so, he will need to get past Montoya (24-7-1, 14 KOs) who produced a split-decision victory against Antonio Perez in April.
Will Cruz dazzle his way to a lopsided win? Or will Montoya hand the Cuban the first losing skid of his pro career with a grand upset? With excitement in the air, DAZN News examines the Keys to Victory for both fighters.
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Andy Cruz’ Keys to Victory
Get the power jab going
Needing to thwart the pressure of Abraham Montoya, Andy Cruz is going to want to stay off the ropes and keep the Mexican fighter at bay. A peppering jab will naturally help Cruz’ cause, but a power jab should give an impending Montoya something to think about each time he charges ahead.
Confuse, demoralize Montoya with footwork
Cruz’ abundance of sweet science skills are aided by his stellar footwork as he’s effectively able to turn opponents and put them in vulnerable positions via his constant lateral movement, including blatant changes of directions, subtle shifts and feints.
Montoya is a bit lumbersome on his feet, giving Cruz a big edge to bewilder and frustrate him with footwork. I expect Cruz to lean on this ability to smoothly get to his spots and dip into his deep bag, drawing the apt weapon at the right time.
Capitalize on Montoya’s mistakes
Fight footage on Montoya shows he’s liable to lunge forward recklessly, head exposed and not protecting himself. He also tends to leave himself vulnerable from overextending and whiffing on attempted shots. Cruz being the technical ring operator he is should be able to capitalize on these errors with slick counterpunching that could very well be driving force that thrusts the Cuban back into the win column.
Abraham Montoya’s Keys to Victory
Walk Cruz down with pressure
Abraham Montoya can be bullish in the ring and aggression did serve Raymond Muratalla well against Andy Cruz. So, Montoya too should be forceful in trying to walk Cruz down and alter the pace of this fight into a slower, grittier style that suits him best.
Consistently dig to the body
Whether Montoya is able to force suffocating phone booth action or not, he must consistently dig to the body. Siff hooks to the midsection could hinder Cruz’ movements, making the Cuban more of a stationary target if the bout goes into deep waters.
Press with caution
When Montoya lunges in or overcommits on his attempts, he’s not exactly doing it with head movement and protection in the form of a guard. These errant sequences will allow the technician Cruz to surgically pick the Mexican apart.
Therefore, Montoya has to show a high, tight guard and keep his head off the center line. Above all, he must press with education or Cruz will feast with his superb footwork and punching precision.
Who has the edge in Cruz vs. Montoya?
Analysis: DAZN News’ Mark Lelinwalla
Of Abraham Montoya’s seven professional losses, none have come by the way of knockout. However, I am expecting Andy Cruz to change that tonight with a masterclass in meticulous sweet science accuracy. His movement alone is going to be a major issue for Montoya. I anticipate Cruz lighting him up toward a TKO that puts him back in the winner’s circle and ready to explore next options for another crack at a world title.
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Watch Anthony Joshua's hugely anticipated return to the ring versus Kristian Prenga on Saturday, July 25, only on DAZN PPV. Buy as a one-off PPV or included, along with Itauma vs. Hrgovic and Canelo vs. Mbilli PPVs, with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
