Plinio Cruz TKOs Gary Olive in Second Round of Misfits Boxing Debut
Plinio Cruz, the longtime coach of Alex Pereira, stopped Gary Olive with a second-round TKO in his Misfits Boxing debut on Saturday night. The heavyweight bout at the Copper Box Arena in London ended at 0:58 of Round 2 after Cruz landed a series of left hooks that left Olive unable to continue.
Cruz was originally booked to face Misfits Boxing heavyweight champion Chase DeMoor, but DeMoor withdrew with an injury. Olive, who serves as DeMoor’s coach, stepped in on short notice for the matchup the promotion labeled a Battle of the Coaches. Cruz, a former professional MMA fighter with an 8-9 record, had signed a multi-fight deal with Misfits and used the opening for his first professional boxing appearance after years spent primarily in a coaching role.
The Brazilian heavyweight controlled the early exchanges and pressed the action with his left hand. In the second round he connected with repeated left hooks that forced Olive to take a knee. Olive remained down, and the referee stopped the contest. Cruz had dropped roughly 100 pounds ahead of the fight to make the heavyweight limit after focusing on coaching for several years.
Alex Pereira worked in Cruz’s corner throughout the bout. After the stoppage, Cruz credited his preparation and immediately addressed DeMoor’s absence. He offered praise for Olive’s boxing while criticizing the champion for pulling out and not appearing in his coach’s corner.
“The gang got me ready. I trained hard and I lost 100 pounds for this fight,” Cruz said. He then turned his attention to DeMoor with pointed remarks about the withdrawal. “Pinocchio because he lies and his nose grows. First of all, props to Gary he boxes better than Chase. [Chase] didn’t have the balls to be in his coach’s corner… What kind of champ is that he can’t even back up his family,” Cruz said.
Cruz continued the challenge in the same interview. “Chase you are a pu*y…. Daddy’s going to show you what a real man is about. You don’t have boxing skills. You don’t have swag. You don’t have no mojo. Come here bro I’m going to whup your fcking ass. Chama!” The comments reopened the original matchup discussion while underscoring Cruz’s desire to face the titleholder.
The second-round stoppage gives Cruz a clear statement in his Misfits debut and highlights the left-hand power that has long been associated with his work alongside Alex Pereira. Olive’s short-notice effort ends in a defeat, while the post-fight callout keeps attention on a potential meeting with DeMoor. Cruz’s multi-fight deal with the promotion leaves room for additional appearances as the heavyweight division continues to take shape.
