The 2020 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz is finally poised to get his chance to show his talents to the world with a title shot against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla, targeted for January 24, 2026, at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Cruz’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, of Matchroom Boxing, already confirmed the Cruz vs. Muratalla fight being targeted for January.
The Cuban Comet’s Vegas Arrival
Cruz is considered the favorite over Muratalla in the eyes of fans, who view this fight ending in a similar way as the Cuban’s recent IBF title eliminator against Hironori Mishiro last summer on June 14th. Cruz knocked out Mishiro in the fifth round to earn his mandatory spot.
Hearn won the purse bid for the Muratalla-Cruz fight with a winning bid of $888,888 on October 23. The fight had been ordered on October 3, 2025.
The Top Rank-promoted Muratalla, 28, is one of the biggest punchers in the lightweight division. He’s mostly looked impressive recently, knocking out two out of his last five opponents.
Where Muratalla struggled was in his fight against former IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer on July 13, 2024. He was forced to go the 10-round distance against Farmer, who was getting hit a lot in the first half of the contest.
Muratalla’s recent fights
- Zaur Abdullaev
- Jesus Antonio Perez Campos
- Tevin Farmer
- Xolisani Ndongeni
- Diego Torres Nunez
Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) hasn’t received the same heavy promotion that former Matchroom fighter Shakur Stevenson has had, despite having superior amateur credentials. He hasn’t received the same push.
The Amateur Master Turns Pro Killer
Although it’s a rarity for a fighter with six professional fights to be getting a world title shot, the Cuban Cruz is a different story. With his 135-9 record as an amateur in Cuba and his 2020 Olympic medal, he is in the same category as professionals with over 30 fights.
Moreover, with a 4-0 record against former WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis while in the amateur ranks, Andy Cruz has shown that his talent is world championship level.
Cruz is arguably the #1 fighter in the 135-lb division. He hasn’t been allowed to prove himself as the best fighter at lightweight, given that Keyshawn, Shakur, and Gervonta Davis have ignored his existence. Cruz doesn’t have enough fights under his belt, and he hasn’t promoted himself on social media or in interviews to create the kind of buzz that some fighters do.
The Fight Shakur Didn’t Want
Unfortunately, Andy Cruz isn’t the WBC mandatory challenger for Shakur Stevenson’s title, as that would be more interesting for fans to see. Cruz is ranked #1 with the WBC, but the sanctioning body has been slow in ordering the fight.
That would be fun to see if Shakur would actually fight Cruz or vacate to move up to 140. Losing to Cruz would sink Shakur’s career, exposing him as never having been as good as fans had previously thought. It’s understandable why Stevenson has shown so little interest in fighting Cruz. He can do everything that Shakur can, but with more speed and power.
Cruz is Cuban kryptonite for the New Jersey native. That’s why Shakur has chosen to fight guys like Josh Padley, Artem Harutyunyan and William Zepeda.