2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) was superb on Saturday night, crushing Hironori Mishiro (17-2-1, 6 KOs) by a fifth-round technical knockout in an IBF lightweight title eliminator at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Cruz used his power jab throughout the fight to tag Mishiro.
In the third round, Cruz opened up with right hands, dropping Mishiro twice. The second knockdown came in the final seconds of the third. If not, he would have surely been finished off by the Cuban talent.
Cruz took the fourth round off, mostly jabbing, moving, and occasionally landing right hands. In the fifth, Andy went after Mishiro, landing a three-punch combination that staggered him, forcing the referee to step in and halt the contest. The time was at 1:13 of the round.
Last Updated on 06/14/2025
