Promoter Eddie Hearn says he is unsure if his fighter, Andy Cruz, will get an immediate title shot against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla after knocking out Hironori Mishiro in the fifth round in an IBF 135-lb title eliminator last Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Andy Cruz: Uncrowned King, Denied Title Shot?
What Cruz showed last night is that he’s the uncrowned King of the lightweight division. He’d beat all the top fighters, Gervonta Davis, Abdullah Mason, and Shakur Stevenson. Muratalla’s promoters at Top Rank are experts at spotting talent, and they’ll know that Cruz would beat him quite easily; hence, they’ll drag their feet in making the fight between them.
Like the previous champion Keyshawn Davis, Muratalla is vulnerable and must be protected from Andy Cruz.
Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) is the IBF mandatory challenger for the belt. It’s believed that the recently IBF-elevated Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) has from 9 to 12 months before he must defend against Cruz.
The IBF will decide how soon the fight will be ordered, but they’ll likely give Muratalla plenty of time to take a voluntary defense to make some money in an easy fight before he’s faced with the task of defending againt Cruz.
If the 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz were popular and it was a sure-thing win for Muratalla, Top Rank would likely pull the trigger on the fight right away. It’s not. though. Muratalla lacks a well-rounded game to have much of any chance of beating a talent like Cruz.
Protecting Muratalla from Cruz
Raymond will have a puncher’s chance, and that’s it against Andy. In other words, he’ll be in the same boat as Hironori Mishiro was last night. He’ll have a little more power as Mishiro, but his skills are just as limited, and he’ll be at the mercy of Cruz.
Top Rank will know this and will stall Muratalla’s title defense against Cruz as long as possible. It wouldn’t be surprising if they have Muratalla squeeze in two fights before he defends against Cruz. If they can get a unification with one of the champions, they may even get three fights in. I sense there’s going to be desperation on Top Rank’s part, knowing that Muratalla has little chance of beating Cruz.
“He’s now the mandatory. Obviously, Muratalla has been elevated. So, we have to see what plans he has,” said promoter Eddie Hearn at the post-fight press conference, when asked about Andy Cruz potentially challenging for the title next against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla.
Hearn is showing his naivety here. Top Rank will delay Muratalla’s title defense against Andy Cruz as long as possible, hoping he will give up and move away from taking this fight. If they can stall it long enough, Cruz may opt to pursue another belt or fighter. I can read Top Rank like a book. This will be a classic stall job by them because they know that Muratalla can’t beat Cruz, and would be made to look like Mishiro and Omar Salcido when they got schooled by the Cuban talent.
Muratalla’s 12-Month Window
“I don’t believe he [Muratalla] has a date locked in, but they may give him a period of time where he’s allowed a voluntary defense,” said Hearn. “One of the reasons why we wanted to take this opportunity is that we know the IBF will follow their rules, and that’s very important to us when it comes to Andy Cruz.”
The period that Muratalla will likely be given is 9 to 12 months. So, Top Rank will opt for the full 12-month time to give their fighter a chance to milk his title two to three times.
“If he were mandatory for another governing body, we understand that sometimes the rules aren’t quite as solid as the IBF. So, Muratalla being elevated, we believe he should fight his mandatory challenger immediately, and we would like it if that were ordered.
“If he does have a defense, it will be one defense, and then we will fight in the meantime. But, you know it’s inevitable with those guys, and that was one of the attractions about fighting this final eliminator,” said Hearn.
Last Updated on 06/15/2025
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