Promoter Eddie Hearn says he is unsure whether his warrior, Andy Cruz, will receive an immediate title against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla after he dropped Hironori Mishiro in an IBF title of 135 pounds in the Madison Square in New York City last Saturday night.
Andy Cruz: Uncroned King, denies the title shot?
What Cruz showed last night is that he is the unconcerned king of the lightweight section. He beat all the top fighters, Gervonta Davis, Abdullah Mason and Shakur Stevenson. Muratalla’s promoters on the top rank are experts to see talent, and they will know that Cruz would beat him fairly easily; Therefore, they will drag their feet to fight between them.
Like the previous champion Keyshawn Davis, Muratalla is vulnerable and must be protected from Andy Cruz.
Cruz (6-0, 3 food) is the IBF-sheltered challenger to the belt. It is believed that the recently IBF-stored Muratalla (23-0, 17 COs) of 9 to 12 months before defending against Cruz.
The IBF will decide how soon the fight will be ordered, but they will probably give Muratalla enough time to take a voluntary defense to make money in an easy battle before heading with the task of defending Againt Cruz.
If the Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz was popular in 2020 and it was a definite victory for Muratalla, the top ranks would probably immediately pull the trigger on the fight. It is not. although. Muratalla lack of a rounded game To have a lot of any chance of beating a talent like Cruz.
Muratalla protects from cruz
Raymond will have a puncher’s chance, and it’s against Andy. In other words, he will be in the same boat last night as Hironori was Mishiro. He will have a little more power like Mishiro, but his skills are just as limited, and he will be at the grace of Cruz.
The top rank will know this and will strike Muratalla’s title defense against Cruz for as long as possible. It would not be surprising if they face Muratalla in two fights before defending against Cruz. If they can get a unification with one of the champions, they can even get three fights. I feel that there will be desperation of top rank, knowing that Muratalla has little chance of beating Cruz.
“He is now the compulsory. It is clear that Muratalla is elevated. So we have to see what plans he has, ‘says promoter Eddie Hearn at the Press conference after battleWhen asked about Andy Cruz who may be challenging for the title Next against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla.
Hearn shows his naivety here. The top ranking will delay Muratalla’s title defense against Andy Cruz for as long as possible, hoping he will give up and move away to take this battle. If they can stand it long enough, Cruz can choose to chase another belt or fighter. I can read top rank like a book. It will be a classic stall through them because they know that Muratalla can’t beat Cruz, and that they would look like Mishiro and Omar Salcido if trained by Cuban talent.
Muratalla’s 12-month window
“I do not believe that he (Muratalla) has locked a date, but they can give him a period where he allowed a voluntary defense,” Hearn said. “One of the reasons we wanted to use this opportunity is that we know that the IBF will follow their rules, and it is very important for us when it comes to Andy Cruz.”
The period that Muratalla is likely to be given is 9 to 12 months. So the top rank chooses the full time of 12 months to give their fighter the chance to milk his title two to three times.
“If he was compulsory for another governing body, we understand that the rules are sometimes not as solid as the IBF. So, if Muratalla is elevated, we believe that he should fight his compulsory challenger immediately, and we want it when ordered.
“If he does have a defense, it will be one defense, and then we will fight in the meantime. But you know it is inevitable with the guys, and it was one of the attractions about the fight against this final Eliminator,” says Hearn.
Last updated on 06/15/2025
