Cruz enters with a strong reputation built primarily on his amateur career, including Olympic gold. Garcia doesn’t dismiss the skill level. He does question how those skills hold up once the fight goes deep.
“Andy Cruz is a very talented fighter with great skills,” Garcia said in an interview with Xicana Boxing. “But fighting three rounds and fighting twelve rounds is a big difference.”
Cruz has gone ten rounds twice since turning pro. Garcia sees it as useful exposure, but not preparation for a full championship distance against a pressure fighter who is comfortable working late. Muratalla, Garcia said, was developed with those rounds in mind.
The betting market installed Cruz as the favorite, a detail that Garcia clearly noticed. He suggested that confidence comes from Cruz’s reputation rather than evidence of how he handles sustained professional pace.
“If that experience really mattered to the oddsmakers, Raymond wouldn’t be the underdog,” Garcia said. “Twelve rounds against an established champion is not the same thing.”
Garcia has been outspoken about Muratalla’s ceiling since adopting him. He said this fight represented a benchmark moment rather than a coronation.
“When I started working with him, I said he was going to be one of my stars,” Garcia said. “Now he’s a world champion. This fight is going to show what he really is.”
That trust is not without risk. Muratalla’s resume at the elite level remains thin. His most notable fight came against Tevin Farmer in 2024, where he won a short ten round decision. Farmer’s movement and timing limited Muratalla’s offense for long stretches, forcing him to work through resistance rather than overpower it.
That fight raised questions about how Muratalla handles fighters who can neutralize power without conceding control. Cruz brings a different set of problems, built on speed and positioning rather than survival.
The co-main event features Israil Madrimov against Luis David Salazar. The card will stream on DAZN.
Garcia’s argument is simple. Skills are one thing. Twelve rounds at world level is another. Cruz may prove he can handle it. Until he does, Garcia sees it as the difference in the fight.
