The IBF lightweight title will be on the line January 24, as unbeaten champion Raymond Muratalla defends his belt against two-time Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas. The matchup is now officially set after purse bid details were finalized, with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing earning the right to stage the bout.
Matchroom won the purse bid with an offer of $888,888, comfortably outbidding Muratalla’s promoter Top Rank, which submitted $550,000. Under the terms of the bid, Muratalla will receive 65%, totaling $577,777.20, while Cruz will earn $311,110.80.
For Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs), the fight marks the first defense of his title. He initially captured the interim version by defeating Zaur Abdullaev on May 10 before being elevated to full champion following Vasiliy Lomachenko’s sudden retirement. The 28-year-old enters the bout undefeated and riding strong momentum in a breakthrough year.
Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) secured his mandatory position with a dominant performance over Hironori Mishiro at Madison Square Garden on June 14, stopping him in the fifth round. The former amateur standout now looks to claim his first world championship in just his seventh professional fight.
In the co-main event, Israil Madrimov is scheduled to return to the ring against Luis David Salazar in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.
Madrimov (10-2-1, 7 KOs) has been sidelined since undergoing left knee and left shoulder surgery following a unanimous decision loss to Vergil Ortiz Jr. in February. That defeat marked the second straight setback for the 30-year-old from Uzbekistan, who had previously lost his WBA junior middleweight title to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision in August 2024. Madrimov originally captured the belt in March of last year with a knockout win over Magomed Kurbanov.
Standing opposite him will be Salazar (20-1, 7 KOs) - a 32-year-old Puerto Rican whose career has largely been contested on the island. His lone defeat came in his only bout outside Puerto Rico, when he was stopped in the eighth round by Kevin Johnson. The matchup represents a key opportunity for both fighters, with Madrimov seeking momentum and Salazar stepping into the highest-profile fight of his career.
Matchroom also confirmed additional bouts for the card, including a light heavyweight clash between Khalil Coe (10-1-1, 8 KOs) and Jesse Hart (31-3, 25 KOs). The event will also feature 2024 United States Olympian Omari Jones (4-0, 4 KOs) against Jerome Baxter (7-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round junior middleweight contest.
Fight card:
▪️Raymond Muratalla vs. Andy Cruz, 12 rounds, for Muratalla’s IBF lightweight title
▪️Israil Madrimov vs. Luis David Salazar, 10 rounds, middleweight
▪️Khalil Coe vs. Jesse Hart, 10 rounds, light heavyweight
▪️Omari Jones vs. Jerome Baxter, 6 rounds, junior middleweight
▪️Ronny Alvarez vs. TBA, 6 rounds, super middleweight
▪️Kaipo Gallegos vs. TBA, 8 rounds, lightweight
▪️Harley Mederos vs. TBA, 8 rounds, junior welterweight
▪️Zaquin Moses vs. TBA, 6 rounds, junior lightweight
