Raymond Muratalla vs Andy Cruz Preview Jan. 24th, 2026
Unbeaten IBF Lightweight Champion Raymond Muratalla of West Covina, California defends his belt for the first time when he takes on undefeated 2021 Olympic lightweight gold medalist Andy Cruz of Cuba this Saturday, January 24th. The 12-round tilt from Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen live in most nations on DAZN. Muratalla was last in the ring in May when he eat Zaur Abdullaev via a wide 12-round unanimous decision for the interim IBF Crown. Cruz’s last outing resulted in a fifth-round TKO over Hironori Mishiro in June.
Muratalla vs Cruz Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Raymond Muratalla +175
- Andy Cruz -215
My Pick
The 29-year-old Muratalla climbs into the ring with a perfect mark of 23-0 with 17 Ko’s and has 113 rounds of experience under his belt since making his pro debut in 2016. Before that, he enjoyed a brief amateur career and beat a young Ryan Garcia in a district Silver Gloves Tournament. Muratalla has plenty of power in his punches with a current knockout ratio of 73.9 per cent. He was dropped in the first round by Humberto Galindo in March, 2023 and has also been deposited on the canvas before that. He’s won five of his last eight fights by stoppage and 14 of his past 18.
Muratalla stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 72-inch reach and is trained by Robert Garcia. He’s a fine young prospect and stepped up in class against Jeremia Nakathila in May, 2023 when he stopped him in two rounds for the vacant WBO Global Lightweight Title. He also has wins over Xolisani Ndongeni, Miguel Contreras, Jair Valtierra, Jeremy Hill, Elias Damian Araujo, Jose Gallegos, Jesus Campos and Luis Porozo. One of Muratalla’s biggest wins was a 10-round unanimous nod over former world champion Tevin Farmer for the vacant WBO NABO Lightweight Title in a battle which also saw him defend his NABF Belt. He’s been taken the distance just six times and has fought longer than nine rounds only four times.
The 29-year-old Cruz reportedly went 140-9 as an amateur star with 10 Ko’s. He captured gold medals at the 2017 Pan American Championships; the 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games; the 2017, 2019 and 2021 World Championships and the Olympics. He’s been training under the tutelage of Derek Ennis and is based in Miami, Florida after inking a three-year deal with Matchroom Boxing. Cruz measures 5-feet-9-inches tall with a reported 70-inch reach. He’s an inch taller than the champion but gives up two inches in reach. Cruz possesses excellent speed, timing, ring IQ and jab but isn’t known to be the most powerful puncher out there as his knockout ratio sits at 50 per cent.
Cruz steps into the ring with a perfect mark of 6-0 with 3 Ko’s and has boxed 45 pro rounds. He beat veteran Juan Carlos Burgos by a 10-round unanimous decision in his pro debut in July, 2023 and captured the vacant IBF International Lightweight Title. He then stopped Jovanni Straffon in his first defence five months later and shutout Brayan Rodriguez over 10 rounds in February, 2024 before stopping Antonio Moran in the seventh later that year and then beating Omar Gamez by 10-round unanimous decision before halting Mishiro in his last outing.
Cruz kicked off his pro career by working with Derek Ennis and his son Jaron. Cruz beat Keyshawn Davis several times as an amateur, usually in gold-medal matches, and also beat Elvis Rodriguez several times. He also competed in the World Series of Boxing a few years ago. He’s now hoping to turn his amateur success into a pro world title but after taking on Burgos in his debut he has arguably taken backward steps in quality of opposition since then but will be stepping up the level once again against Muratalla.
Prediction…
Muratalla is well known for his power while Cruz is known for his silky smooth boxing skills. Cruz may not have devastating one-punch power but is certainly capable of stopping opponents with a combination of shots. I’m expecting Muratalla to have his moments but I believe Cruz will emerge with a victory in a tough contest due to him being a better overall boxer with enough power to cause damage.
Cruz’s superior skills should be the difference.
Play Cruz -215 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Andy Cruz betting • Raymond Muratalla betting