Raymond Muratalla defends IBF lightweight world title against Andy Cruz in Las Vegas
Raymond Muratalla successfully defended his IBF lightweight world title against Andy Cruz in Las Vegas.
Cruz came into the fight against Muratalla as the favourite despite having just six professional fights prior to the bout.
Muratalla (24-0, 17 KOs) used his experience over 12 rounds and pressured Cruz (6-1, 3 KOs) throughout, not allowing him to settle at any point.
It was a back-and-forth fight with both men having success. The bout began to heat up in the third round, with the champion landing some big shots to the body while Cruz was forced onto the ropes.
Cruz began to have more success in the mid-stages of the contest, often making Muratalla swing and miss.
Most of the rounds could have been scored either way, with momentum shifting between both fighters throughout.
Two of the judges gave the defending champion the nod on the cards, scoring it 118-110 and 116-112, with the third seeing a draw at 114-114.
The contest could have been scored either way, so the 118-110 card appeared very wide.
Some of the world’s best fighters took to social media to give their reaction to Muratalla vs Cruz, including WBO welterweight world champion Devin Haney.
“That was a good fight. Andy got nothing to hang his head about, especially with him only having six fights. He will definitely bounce back.”
That was good fight.. Andy got nothing to hang his head about. Especially with him only having 6 fights. He will definitely bounce back
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) January 25, 2026
Former lightweight world champion Shakur Stevenson revealed he was eyeing the winner of the main event for his next fight after facing Teofimo Lopez next Saturday.
“Yeah, yeah, definitely [I want the winner]. I plan on going back to 135 lbs. I am not a 140 lbs fighter. I’ve said this a million times and people can run with whatever they want to run with, but after this fight, if I don’t get a big fight, I will be back at 135 lbs.”
Shakur Stevenson has eyes on the winner of #MuratallaCruz after Teofimo Lopez
pic.twitter.com/vPCQ9fIsaZ
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 25, 2026
Khalil Coe vs Jesse Hart
In the co-main event, Khalil Coe and Jesse Hart settled their beef following an explosive build-up.
The pair nearly came to blows multiple times throughout fight week.
Coe (11-1-1, 8 KOs) got the nod on a majority decision against Hart (31-4, 25 KOs) after a 10-round war at middleweight.
The WBC USA light heavyweight title was on the line. However, Coe came in overweight the day before the fight, meaning only Hart was eligible to win the belt.
In the third round, the pair came together and Coe slammed Hart to the ground, resulting in a point being deducted by referee Thomas Taylor.
Hart was also deducted a point in the sixth round for holding.
The final scorecards read: 96-92, 95-93 and 94-94.
Israil Madrimov vs Luis David Salazar
Israil Madrimov got back to winning ways after back-to-back losses over the last two years.
The Uzbek, Madrimov (11-2-1, 7 KOs), beat Luis David Salazar (20-2, 7 KOs) over 10 rounds at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
He was dominant throughout the contest, winning nearly every round, with all three judges scoring it 99-91.
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Madrimov controlled the fight and nearly stopped Salazar in the final round after a sustained barrage of attacks.
It was ‘The Dream’s’ first fight in over 11 months following shoulder surgery and those two defeats.
Madrimov was beaten by three-weight undisputed world champion Terence Crawford over 12 rounds in 2024.
The 30-year-old returned to action last February against Vergil Ortiz Jr and was again outpointed, with two judges scoring it 115-113.
Remaining Undercard
Zaquin Moses (6-0, 3 KOs) extended his unbeaten run since turning professional in late 2024.
The younger cousin of three-weight world champion Shakur Stevenson picked up a unanimous decision win over Leandro Damian Medina (7-3-1, 4 KOs) at super featherweight.
The contest took place over six rounds, with all three judges scoring it 60-53 in Moses’ favour.
Olympic bronze medallist Omari Jones (5-0, 4 KOs) was back in action on the Matchroom-promoted bill, picking up a unanimous decision win after six rounds.
He faced unbeaten Jerome Baxter (7-1, 3 KOs) at super welterweight and won every round on all three judges’ scorecards.
Ronny Alvarez (6-0, 5 KOs) got the job done against Braulio Ferreira (7-3, 2 KOs), finishing him in the fourth round.
Kaipo Gallegos (11-0-1, 9 KOs) picked up a brutal second round stoppage over Wilson Akinocho (3-1, 0 KOs.)
