Jaron Ennis Was Right About Andy Cruz

That belief now has a date attached to it.

Cruz will challenge Raymond Muratalla for the IBF lightweight title on January 24 in Las Vegas. For a fighter who has spent most of his professional career waiting for traction, the fight is less a breakthrough than a correction.

Cruz has been ranked at 135 for a while. He has also been easy to ignore. He does not sell himself. He does not posture. He does not play the online game. That has kept him out of the conversation longer than his résumé justified.

Facing Muratalla changes that. There is no room to overlook a title fight.

Cruz’s development has also shifted since arriving in Philadelphia. Under the guidance of Derek “Bozy” Ennis, his style has moved away from the touch-and-move rhythm he used with the Cuban national team. He now sits down on his punches. He steps forward with intent. He looks to finish exchanges instead of simply winning them.

That evolution matters. The amateurs already proved he could control distance and pace. The question in the pros was whether he would hurt people enough to remove doubt. The work in this gym is aimed directly at that concern.

Ennis has watched the process up close.

He said Cruz has been ready for a title fight, pointing to his experience and his composure. He noted that the habits Cruz built in the amateurs carried over cleanly, and that the learning curve since joining their camp has been steep.

Most of all, Ennis went back to that first impression. Watching Cruz spar. Seeing how quickly he adjusted. Knowing what that usually leads to.

This fight will tell everyone else what Ennis already believes. And if Cruz looks the way he does in that gym, Muratalla is not facing a prospect. He is facing a finished product.