Hoping to capitalize on his last two knockout wins, hometown welterweight Ronald Cruz goes against Hector Munoz, of Albuquerque, NM, in the 10-round main event on Saturday evening, Nov. 16, in the Events Center at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
The Cruz-Morales fight ops a seven-bout card which begins at 7p.m.
Cruz (right), 27, rallied for a 10th-round knockout over Alberto Morales, of Miami, FL, on Sept. 26 at the Sands.
The win over Morales marked Cruz’ second knockout victory in less than two months. On Aug. 10 in the same ring, he K0d Rodolfo Armenta, of Rio Rico, AZ, in two rounds.
A pro since 2009, Cruz has a record of 19-2, 14 K0s. He had been ranked in the Top 15 worldwide by both the IBF and WBC until suffering back-to-back losses to Antwone Smith, of Miami, FL, in 2012 and to Ray Narh, of Accra, Ghana, earlier this year.
“I’m anxious to get back into the rankings,” said Cruz. “’I’d like to fight every month if I could. Ten-rounders, 12-rounders; it makes no difference to me. I’m still learning on the job and I need to stay active. Too many fighters today sit and wait.
I don’t want to be one of them. I want to stay busy.”
Munoz (left), 34, comes into this fight off the biggest win of his career, a 10-round decision over Hector Camacho, Jr., on Sept. 11 in Parker, AZ.
A pro since 2002, Munoz has fought some of the best at 147 pounds, including Irving Garcia, Antonin DeCarie, Mike Jones, Shawn Porter, Brad Solomon and Ed Paredes.
Munoz’ record is 22-11-1, 14 K0s.
“The win over Camacho made me feel good about myself,” said Munoz. “I was in Philadelphia sparring with Danny Garcia and the work did wonders for me. I was too heavy (161 pounds) for the Camacho fight, but I still won. Now, for a change, I have seven weeks to get ready and it should be no problem for the rest of my career.”
The eight-round junior lightweight semifinal features crowd-pleasing Jason Sosa, of Camden, NJ, against Chazz McDowell, Yonkers, NY.
Sosa, who has knocked out his last five opponents, has a record of 10-1-3, 6 K0s. McDowell is 6-3-1, 1 K0.
Five additional fights complete the card.
ABOUT NOVEMBER 16
The Cruz-Munoz and and Sosa-McDowell fights headline a seven-bout card at the Sands Bethlehem. Doors open at 6.30pm; first fight 7p.m. Tickets priced at $50 and $75 can be purchased through the offices of Peltz Boxing (215-765-0922) and at all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000). Tickets also are on sale at www.peltzboxing.com, www.SandsEventCenter.com, and www.Ticketmaster.com. In Bethlehem, tickets are available at Deja Brew, Inc., 101 West 4 th Street (610-865-2739) and at Pronto Insurance Notary, 232 East 3rd Street (610-419-6790). The card is being promoted by Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., and BAM Boxing in association with the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.
