Can Andy Cruz defeat Salcido? WBC title at stake


Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) says he hopes his “son,“Keyshawn Davis will be ringside to watch him fight Omar Salcido (20-1, 14 KOs) in a 10-round WBC lightweight title eliminator in the co-feature this Saturday, January 25 at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom., in Las Vegas Cruz-Salcido will fight on the Diego Pacheco vs. Steven Nelson card live on DAZN.

Target Shakur

If Cruz wins this fight, it will be mandatory for the WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and can force a fight against him, perhaps in 2026, if he doesn’t lose his belt before then. Shakur won’t be in a hurry to fight Andy because he’s like a better version of himself. Cruz is defensive like Stevenson, but with power and offensive skills it would be too much for him.

Cruz turned professional two years ago in 2023 after leaving his native Cuba and now lives in Miami, Florida. He is trained by Derek ‘Bozy’ Ennis, who makes slight modifications to his fighting style to make him more of a forefoot fighter who goes on the attack. It seems he’s trying to retool him to be more like his son, Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.

A father’s motivation

“In addition to getting the victory on Saturday, I want to make my son, Keyshawn, proud. I want him to feel proud of his dad if he’s at ringside,” Andy Cruz told Matchroom Boxing of Keyshawn Davis, whom he whipped four times in the amateurs, including at the final for the 2020 Olympic gold medal.

Andy says he wants to make Keyshawn proud of his dad if he’s at ringside watching him fight Salcido. Andy has trained Keyshawn four times in the amateurs, and the last time they met was in the final of the 2020 Olympics.

It was embarrassing to watch, as the fight was so one-sided in favor of Cruz. After the fight, Davis seemed to completely lose his mind, celebrating around the ring, standing on the ropes, waving his arms and screaming. The crowd looked on in bewilderment, not knowing what to think.

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