The timeline has shortened to resolve matters surrounding the IBF 135lbs title.

BoxingScene has confirmed that the ordered Raymond Muratalla-Andy Cruz clash will head directly to a purse bid hearing. The session has been scheduled for October 16, to be conducted via Zoom from IBF headquarters in Springfield, New Jersey. 

The hearing comes in lieu of a recently assigned 30-day negotiation period for the pair of unbeaten lightweights to work out a deal. There was never any expectation for talks to go very far; Top Rank (Muratalla) and Matchroom (Cruz) previously sought to stage the bout earlier this summer, only for Muratalla’s immediate team to head in a different direction. 

Muratalla, 23-0 (17 KOs), originally planned to explore a voluntary defense before committing to a showdown with Cruz, 6-0 (3 KOs). At the time, the IBF indicated that California’s Muratalla had until February 10, 2026 – nine months from his interim title win over Zaur Abdullaev – to honor his mandatory.

The IBF then ruled that Muratalla was required to satisfy his mandatory by no later than December 5. 

Muratalla’s options are further limited by the fact that Top Rank is presently without a televised or streaming platform after its multi-year deal with ESPN expired earlier this summer. 

Matchroom has been with DAZN since its 2018 U.S. launch. The UK-based, global promotional outfit made a previous offer for the fight earlier this summer but was declined by Muratalla’s team. 

There is no such option on Muratalla’s side, unless they are prepared to relinquish the title.

Muratalla defeated Russia’s Abdullaev to win a secondary version of the IBF 135lbs title on May 10 in San Diego, California. The win came exactly 52 weeks after Vasiliy Lomachenko regained the full IBF title in a stoppage win over former lineal and unified champ George Kambosos Jnr.

Lomachenko had until October 9 to face Muratalla in a title consolidation fight but instead opted to retire from the sport. Muratalla was given an immediate upgrade but has not since made his way back to the ring. 

Lomachenko’s retirement and Muratalla’s advanced title status also paved the way for Cruz to enter a final title eliminator. The 2020 Olympic Gold medalist for Cuba made proper use of the opportunity, a sixth-round stoppage of Hironori Mishiro on June 14 in New York City. 

Cruz planned to return to the ring this fall if Muratalla moved forward with a voluntary defense. He and his team will instead spend the next 30 days either working on a deal or requesting an immediate purse bid, which either side can do at any point during the negotiation period.

Per IBF rule 5.D covering mandatory title fights, both fighters are obligated to either move forward with the purse bid or take it one step further and reach terms in advance of the hearing.

Should Muratalla – as the defending titlist – fail to move forward with the fight, he will be stripped of the title. 

Any effort by Cruz to go in another direction will result in his being dropped out of the top 10 IBF 135lbs rankings and ineligible to fight an IBF-sanctioned bout for at least six months.

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.