Discussing the January 24 bout, Cruz said he fought as though he were already the champion rather than the challenger.
“Really, in that fight, I fought like I was the champion and he was the challenger,” Andy Cruz said to the BoxeoUrbanoNetwork. “What happened was I got comfortable. I could have taken a little more risk, but I said, because he was the champion, I’m not going to risk getting hit with even one punch. I wanted to beat him clean. I wanted my punches to be the cleanest. I think I was the more effective fighter, but I’m conscious that when you fight a champion, you have to go well above the champion.”
Cruz (6-1, 3 KOs) lost a 12-round majority decision to Muratalla in a competitive fight that many observers felt was considerably closer than the official scores of 118-110, 116-112, and 114-114. Although he spent much of the fight boxing defensively, Cruz landed several of the cleaner and more damaging shots against Muratalla.
The 2020 Olympic gold medalist still believes a rematch is warranted and says the champion would not see the same version of him if they meet again.
“I wanted the rematch immediately,” Cruz said. “But it’s going to happen this way, and that’s fine with me. I can’t complain because I’m being given an opportunity to fight for a title soon if I get through this eliminator. What I can say is that he knows he won’t be facing the same Andy Cruz.”
Before any rematch can be discussed, Cruz must get past Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), an unbeaten contender known for his height, reach, and technical style. The winner will move into position as the leading challenger for an IBF title shot.
MurataIla is scheduled to defend his IBF lightweight title against Robson Conceicao on August 1. If he retains the belt and remains at 135 pounds, the winner of Cruz-Bell would be in line to challenge for the championship.
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