Commey stops Cruz to pave way for IBF World Championship bout

Ghanaian boxer Richard Commey edged himself closer to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Lightweight world title when he knocked out Mexican Yardley Cruz in a world-title eliminator in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum at Uniondale in New York (NY), United States (US).

The August 4, 2018 scheduled 10-round fight came to an end when referee Estevez called it in round two by way of a TKO clearly in favor of Ghana’s Richard Commey. This win moves Commey up in rankings and currently sets his record at 27 wins (24KOs) of 29 fights.

Commey walked into the ring to draw blood. This became evident when a fierce punch from him forced Cruz to kiss the canvas immediately in the first round.

The Mexican showed a strong spirit after his first-round knockdown and survived the assault from Commey. The Ghanaian obviously bent on making this a quick fix rained punches on a wobbly Cruz, forcing the referee to end the fight before the 2nd round bell went off — securing Commey the 27th win of his boxing career.

“Bring it on now Mikey Garcia,” screamed Commey during his ringside post-fight interview with TheAfricanDream.net, he went on to say “am thankful to God for tonight’s victory. Now that we are done with Cruz, I am excitedly looking forward to the world championship fight with Garcia because I know I deserve that IBF belt. “

Depending on what agreement is reached between the Commey-Garcia camps, their fight could put the WBC belt also within Commey’s grasp, making him one of the first Ghanaians to fight for a unified world title in years. For now though: “we are happy and ready to battle for the IBF belt,” according to Commey’s manager, Michael Amoo-Bediako, who flew from the UK for this fight.

Garcia beat Robert Easter Jr. to unify the World Boxing Council (WBC) and IBF titles on July 29, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, mandating him to face-off Commey who is the number one contender to the IBF lightweight belt.

The IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association, WBC, and the World Boxing Organization.