Headlining a PBC on Fox card @ Barclays Center on the first Saturday in August. Fairly interesting crossroads match pitting a 35 year old removed by several years from his championship heyday (if not the full extent of his romps with the welterweight elite) versus a 28 year old who is fresher, bigger (4½″ taller with 5½″ longer reach) yet fairly ordinary and unexceptional compared with the opponent's prime version. In a way this reminds me a tiny bit of the recent Judah vs. Seldin match-up, with the notable difference that Andre has never been plagued with Zab's chin issues. Berto had over 200 amateur fights and fought under the Haitian flag in the Olympics, while Cruz representing Puerto Rico (although he, like Berto, was born in the continental United States and not the Caribbean archipelago - specifically the Greater Antilles - from which both of their parents emigrated) went a modest 65-15 before turning over. To date, Cruz's best opponent by far has been a faded version of José Manuel "Josesito" López - whom Berto knocked out three years earlier - and Cruz, a former karateka whose rich doctor father had forbidden him from training in boxing in his early childhood as he originally had wanted - lost a wide unanimous decision. Berto has only had four matches in as many years since he stopped López (and only a pair - including a schooling at the hands of fading p4p king Floyd Mayweather Jr. - since knocking out Victor Ortiz in their rematch over three years ago). Cruz has, conversely, fought a dozen times since earlier in that same week in March of 2015...albeit versus much lower grade opposition, with his most valuable experience likely coming as Ruslan Provodnikov's chief sparring partner ahead of his clash with Mike Alvarado. Berto is currently ranked #9 by the WBC, and Cruz is at present unrated by any major org. A loss here probably means packing up shop for Berto, and not even bothering with another run at contention. Cruz has everything to gain by finally getting a name on his record, and redeeming himself for the rather tepid showing against Josesito. Cruz vs. López, April 2018: This content is protected Berto vs. Devon Alexander, August 2018: This content is protected
Cruz I doubt has the power to trouble Berto, or the skill to give him many issues. Berto probably walks him down and stops him late. But if Berto shows even more shot than he was fr the Alexander match, which he did legitimately win IMO, then there's a slight possibility Cruz takes it.
I just realized this will be a cunt-hair away from the anniversary of Berto vs. Alexander - literally 364 days. Long time for a mid-30's guy with lots of wear & tear on him (not to mention a style that, in his youth, relied primarily on athleticism..) to spend on the shelf. But yeah, Cruz is "bog standard", as the Brits say. Dre would need to have deteriorated below his DA condition. I'm still mad as hell we never get that Mosley vs. Berto fight that was scuppered when he went down to Haiti for humanitarian work after that big earthquake in 2010. For a good half a dozen years after that, both were kind of hovering in parallel space at the fringes of contention, batting around .500, and it seems ridiculous their paths never crossed, especially after having come so close.. That fight would have squeezed every drop of what both guys had left and produced an epic fireworks display of fast-handed "power-boxing", instead of both separately being parties in mediocre affairs with other dance partners.
That was a rough three years (10-12) for me in terms of scrapped matches I really wanted to see. I was salivating for Berto-Mosley, was really pumped for Morales-Matthysse, bristling for Golovkin-Pirog, and couldn't wait for Canelo-Williams. Going in, I thought Berto might have edged it, but in retrospect, after the Ortiz match happened. Even that version of Sugar Shane would have probably had enough to score a mid round stoppage. An... yeah on second thought, I thought the Alexander match was a while ago, just not that much of a while ago. Hmmmm. And look what just happened to Devon. Might have to start leaning Miguel here.
