Muratalla was elevated to full champion following the retirement of Vasiliy Lomachenko, opening the door for a direct mandatory defense. Cruz earned his position with a rapid climb through the IBF rankings, capped by a stoppage win over Hironori Mishiro last June. The result’s an unusual matchup on paper. A champion with momentum. A challenger with just six skilled fights.
Eddie Hearn has described Cruz as one of the vital complete fighters he has worked with, whilst the Cuban’s public profile has lagged behind others within the division. The dearth of attention has been tied more to volume than belief. Cruz has not been rushed into frequent appearances. Saturday changes that equation.
Despite a 6-0 record, Cruz is widely regarded contained in the sport as a top-level talent still early in his skilled development. The title shot on January 24 represents his first opportunity to show that fame into hardware.
Within the construct up, Matchroom Boxing released behind the scenes footage from Cruz’s camp, offering a have a look at his each day routine and preparation.
“This fight is an important fight of my profession,” Cruz said to Matchroom. “At this moment I just needed to prove it. I would like to placed on a terrific show and remain the champion that night.”
Cruz trains out of Philadelphia under Derek Bozy Ennis, sharing gym time with Jaron Ennis. Those across the gym have said his talent was evident early, but the main target has been on adaptation quite than reinvention.
“My style comes from Cuba,” Cruz said. “Somewhat than changing it, I made adjustments. A mixture of Cuban boxing and what I’ve learned here may give good results. Talent without work is nothing.”
Saturday tests whether that mix holds over twelve rounds against a pressure fighter who has already proven he belongs at championship level. If it does, Cruz’s short résumé will stop being the very first thing people mention.
The Raymond Muratalla – Andy Cruz event takes place on Saturday, January 24, 2026, survive DAZN, with the published possibly starting as early as 4:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM PT / 9:00 PM UK time, the most important card expected around 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT / 1:00 AM UK time (Sunday), and ring walks likely around the identical time.
Muratalla vs Cruz undercard:
- Harley Mederos (9-0, 8 KOs) vs. Renny Viamonte Mastrapa (4-3-1, 2 KOs), super lightweight
- Omari Jones (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Jerome Baxter (7-0, 3 KOs), super welterweight
- Ronny Alvarez (5-0, 4 KOs) vs. Braulio Matias Ferreira (7-2, 2 KOs), super middleweight
- Kaipo Gallegos (10-0-1, 8 KOs) vs. Wilson Akinocho (3-0), lightweight
- Zaquin Moses (5-0, 3 KOs) vs. Leandro Damian Medina (7-2-1, 4 KOs), super featherweight
- Jorge Ruiz (2-0, 2 KOs) vs. Austin Joel (2-0-1, 2 KOs), featherweight
