The IBF has officially called for a purse bid to determine promotional rights for the lightweight title fight between unbeaten contenders Raymond Muratalla and Andy Cruz. The session will take place on October 16 via Zoom from IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey, after the two camps failed to reach an agreement during their negotiation period.
Top Rank represents Muratalla, while Matchroom promotes Cruz. Both sides had previously discussed the matchup earlier this year but talks collapsed when Muratalla’s team opted for a different route. The IBF initially granted Muratalla until February 2026 to fulfill his mandatory defense but later advanced the deadline to December 5. With time running out, the organization has now forced the issue through a purse bid.
The situation is further complicated by Top Rank’s lack of a U.S. broadcast or streaming partner following the expiration of its ESPN deal earlier this summer. Matchroom, meanwhile, remains aligned with DAZN and had made an offer for the bout earlier this year - one that Muratalla’s team declined.
Muratalla earned the IBF 135lbs belt after defeating Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev on May 10 in San Diego, shortly before Vasiliy Lomachenko’s retirement led to his elevation to full champion and he has yet to make a defense since that win, while his opponent, Cruz, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, earned his mandatory status after a sixth-round stoppage of Hironori Mishiro in June.
Image Credit: Ready to Fight