Matchroom Boxing Wins Purse Bid For Major Lightweight Title Fight

Raymond Muratalla will compete under the Matchroom Boxing banner, at least for one fight.

The 28-year-old champion is set to defend the IBF lightweight title against Andy Cruz on a date yet to be determined in early 2026. Although Muratalla has been promoted by Top Rank, the title fight will be promoted by Matchroom after Eddie Hearn's company won the purse bid.

💎 🔜 👑

Purse bid won ✅

Andy Cruz will challenge for Raymond Muratalla’s IBF World 135lbs Title in early 2026! @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/vZXH7ZGn0r
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 23, 2025

Matchroom, which promotes Cruz, narrowly outbid Top Rank to secure the rights to the fight. Hearn reportedly closed the deal with a $888,888 offer, according to Ring Magazine, which surpassed Bob Arum's $550,000 offer.

As the champion, Muratalla is entitled to $577,777, 65 percent of the bid, per The Ring. Cruz would net $311,110, the remaining 35 percent.

The fight commencing under Hearn's promotion is likely beneficial to both fighters' overall purse. With Matchroom, Muratalla and Cruz will now headline a card broadcast on DAZN. Top Rank, meanwhile, does not have a permanent broadcast solution and is currently streaming its fights on the FAST channel 'Top Rank Classics.'

Once the date and venue are finalized, the Muratalla-Cruz fight card will become Matchroom's first scheduled event of 2026. The promotion has six events over the final two months of 2025 to close out the year.

Raymond Muratalla defends IBF belt against Andy Cruz

As two of the brightest young athletes in the sport, Muratalla and Cruz have been on a collision course for years. The undefeated stars have circled each other for a while but finally put pen to paper when the IBF made Cruz a mandatory title challenger in early October.

Muratalla won the IBF interim lightweight title in May, when he beat Zaur Abdullaev by unanimous decision. According to CompuBox, 'Danger' landed 140 punches to Abdullaev's 87 to improve to 23-0.

Muratalla was subsequently promoted to "full" champion in June following Vasiliy Lomachenko's retirement.

Cruz, 30, is still young in his professional career, bringing a 6-0 record into his first world title fight. He has dominated each of his previous bouts but is best known for his decorated amateur career, highlighted by six gold medals, including one at the Olympics.

Cruz, who has three amateur wins over former WBO lightweight champion Keyshawn Davis, is coming off a fifth-round TKO win over Hironori Mishiro in June. Since making his professional debut in July 2023, the Cuban has fought every three months on average, collecting three knockouts and three decisions.

The Latest Boxing News

Shakur Stevenson Confirms Involvement In Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis Fight

Floyd Mayweather Silences Broke Retirement Claim With Blunt 5-Word Message

Former Jake Paul Prospect Signs With KSI's Misfits Boxing

MVP Announces 'Showcase' Event For Jake Paul vs Gervonta Davis Fight Week