Andy Cruz has found a fresh path to the IBF lightweight crown, even if picking up the belt leaves his loss against Raymond Muratalla unanswered. The Cuban standout meets undefeated Artur Subkhankulov on November 27 in Ufa, Russia, battling for the vacant title now that Muratalla has jumped up in weight.
Ring Magazine broke the news of the matchup, dropping Cruz right into his opponent’s backyard.
Muratalla moving up for 140 pounds without settling things leaves a sour taste, especially when so many ringside observers believed Cruz (7-1, 4 KOs) did enough to earn the decision last January. Walking away with the belt and immediately going to light welterweight lets Muratalla hold onto bragging rights without having to solve Cruz a second time.
That controversial loss against Muratalla basically gave Cruz the best of both worlds. The disputed cards shielded him from the career damage of a decisive defeat, while the sting of leaving with an empty hand shook him out of his amateur habits.
Amateur legends often stay stuck in neutral because their pure boxing ability bails them out. Cruz could have spent years coasting on touch-and-move tricks, flicking jabs, and winning rounds by narrow margins. Instead, that decision forced him to confront the cold reality of professional prize fighting: relying on judges to appreciate finesse will get you robbed.
Shifting toward sitting down on his punches and hunting real damage is the exact adjustment he needed. If he had been given the decision against Muratalla, he probably would have stayed comfortable. Taking the hit turned him into a far more dangerous fighter.
Going into Russia against Subkhankulov with that mean streak makes him a completely different situation. Subkhankulov is walking in prepared for an Olympic stylist. If Cruz shows up planting his heels and looking to take his head off, that wake-up call against Muratalla might end up being the best thing that ever happened to his career.
Cruz, 31, last fought in July, stopping Abraham Montoya in three rounds in his first appearance since losing to Muratalla. The change was dramatic. He fought with greater aggression and looked intent on hurting Montoya rather than allowing his cleaner boxing to carry him through the rounds.
