Raymond Muratalla vs Andy Cruz: What Can Be Expected From The Match

The match between Raymond Muratalla and Andy Cruz is scheduled to take place on January 24, 2026, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, and will be streamed on DAZN. In this match, the 28-year-old Raymond Muratalla will be defending the IBF lightweight championship for the first time.

The best sports betting sites have already started taking bets, and they favor Cruz, with the odds being Andy Cruz - 220, Raymond Muratalla +180. These sites not only offer sharp odds but also allow bettors to take advantage of large welcome bonuses and strong promotions, along with facilitating fast payouts.

Muratalla won the IBF interim lightweight title in May 2025 by defeating Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs). This was Muratalla’s first 12-round match, and it ended Abdullaev’s nine-fight winning streak. Additionally, Muratalla became one of only two boxers to defeat Abdullaev, along with Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1NC). Raymond Muratalla was to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs), who held the lightweight champion title, until Lomachenko retired, causing Muratalla to be elevated to full champion in June 2025.

Andy Cruz, aged 30, became the contender for the title after defeating the almost undefeated Hironori Mishiro (17-2-1, 6 KOs) on June 14, 2025.

Comparison of the two boxers

Both boxers fight in an orthodox stance. They both stand at 5 ft 8 in, with Raymond Muratalla having a 72 in reach and Andy Cruz having a 70 in reach.

Muratalla has had a longer professional boxing career, which started in 2016. He won the NABF and WBO Lightweight titles in 2023 and successfully defended them in 2023 in a match against Diego Torres. In 2024, he defeated Tevin Farmer in a 10-round match to retain the NABF title and win the NABO title. He has participated in 23 fights during his professional boxing career and has won all of them, with 17 being wins by knockout.

Cruz only entered the professional boxing scene at 27. During this time, he has fought in 6 matches and has so far gone undefeated. He has won 3 of these matches by knockout. That said, Cruz has the superior experience if we count his time as an amateur boxer during which he accumulated 149 bouts with a score of 140-9 (10 KOs). He won many gold medals as an amateur boxer, including 3 medals at the AIBA World Championships, 2 Pan American Games medals, and a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

Muratalla’s undefeated streak of 23 matches is incredibly impressive, and he is known for throwing powerful punches, which have allowed him to win many matches by knockout. Nevertheless, it is thought that Cruz’s superior speed, reflexes, and defensive abilities will be the deciding factor, making him the favorite of the match. Amateur boxer, Kim Amoussa, believes Cruz is going to wear Muratalla out and ultimately win on points.

Purse bid and rewards

The purse bid took place in October at IBF’s headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey. Matchroom, Cruz’s promoter, and Top Rank, Muratalla’s promoter, bid $888,888 and $550,000, respectively, leading to Matchroom gaining promotional rights for the match. Should Muratalla, the defending champion, win, his reward will be 65% of the higher bid, totaling $577,777. Cruz is entitled to 35% of the bid, which is $311,110, given his victory.

Significance of the match

Interestingly, this match is not as talked about as some others, such as Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson, for instance. Regardless, true boxing fans know that it is just as important. The reason behind the lack of media attention could be due to Muratalla and Cruz not being such high-profile individuals, and maintaining low social media activity.