Telemundo Quick Pick

Cruz will be looking to win three fights in a row

Orlando Cruz vs. Romulo Koasicha: On Friday night Telemundo will air a card headlined by a fight between Orlando Cruz (22-4-1, 11 KO) and Romulo Koasicha (25-5, 15 KO).  The fight is scheduled to go 10 rounds in the junior lightweight division and both fighters need to keep winning if they want to step back in the ring with big names.  Cruz is 3-2 in his last five fights but his wins came against average fighters while he lost his two big fights to Orlando Salido and Gamalier Rodriguez.  Meanwhile, Koasicha has gone 4-1 in his last five fights but his wins came against average fighters while his loss came to the supremely talented Vasyl Lomachenko who knocked him out in the 10th round of their 2015 fight.  At 34 years old Cruz is 10 years older than Koasicha.  Cruz is a southpaw who is best known for being boxing's first openly gay man but he'd probably prefer being known as boxing's first openly gay world title holder.  Cruz has faced some tough opponents in the past like Salido, Rodriguez, and Daniel Ponce De Leon but he has always lost his step up fights.  Cruz has quick hands and an awkward style and he moves well in the ring.  While his jab isn't great he does have a solid right hook and a solid straight left hand.  Usually Cruz likes to fight backing up and doesn't play the role of aggressor.  The problem for Cruz has always been that he is vulnerable to the knockout and in his four career losses three of them have come by the way of knockout.  Luckily for him Koasicha isn't a big puncher.  Koasicha seems to be plagued by the same illness as Cruz in that he can't win step up fights.  The two biggest fights of Koasicha's career have come against Lee Selby and Lomachenko and he lost both of those bouts badly.  Koasicha has a decent jab but too often he throws left hooks where he should probably be throwing jabs.  His best punch is his straight right hand and if that isn't his best punch than the left hook to the body is.  While Cruz will have the faster hands in this fight Koasicha is the more authoritative puncher and his ability to cut off the ring should allow him to bang Cruz to the body.  Cruz doesn't take body shots exceptionally well and those will be the difference as Koasicha gets the split decision win.