Matchroom Boxing appears poised to win the purse bid for the IBF lightweight title fight between Raymond Muratalla and Andy Cruz, with Top Rank yet to finalize a new broadcast deal following its split from ESPN. The hearing is scheduled to take place today, and Matchroom officials are confident they can secure promotional rights for the matchup.
Muratalla earned the IBF title after a dominant points win over Zaur Abdullaev, later being upgraded from interim to full champion following Vasyl Lomachenko’s retirement. Initially expected to make a voluntary defense - possibly against Floyd Schofield Jr. - the 28-year-old American is now required to face mandatory challenger Cruz.
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Cruz rose to the top of the rankings after stopping Hironori Mishiro in June and now faces the toughest test of his professional career. Matchroom CEO Frank Smith emphasized his confidence in the Cuban contender ahead of the bid. “Andy Cruz’s dream is to become a world champion,” Smith said. “We’ve been pushing to make that fight for a long time, and that is the fight you’ll see next for Andy Cruz. He’ll beat Muratalla, in my opinion, and then set himself up to be one of the biggest names in the division.”
With Top Rank’s ongoing broadcast uncertainty adding intrigue to the process, Matchroom believes the timing favors them. Still, Smith maintained a diplomatic tone: “Purse bids are purse bids – anyone can bid. That’s the fun and games of it. But hopefully we do [win the bid]. We’ve been on a great journey with Andy Cruz, so hopefully we can continue that and promote his world title fight.”
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