Raymond Muratalla’s riveting first defense of his IBF lightweight title has positioned him for a homecoming event in August, BoxingScene has learned.
Muratalla, 24-0 (17 KOs), is being pointed to head an August 8 card at Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, a neighboring town to where he was raised in working-class Fontana, California.
Muratalla, elevated to IBF champion upon the retirement of former three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko, produced an entertaining first defense of the belt January 24 at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, defeating previously unbeaten 2021 Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz of Cuba by majority decision scores of 118-110, 114-114, 116-112.
Muratalla, 29, had expressed interest in meeting new WBO 140lbs champion Shakur Stevenson, but an official close to the situation said the talks subsided and have perhaps fizzled.
Cruz was Muratalla’s mandatory challenger, so Muratalla has the freedom to select from a wider field while defending his belt for a second time.
The list of IBF-ranked lightweights includes No. 3-ranked Albert Bell,
Muratalla, No. 13 Lucas Bahdi and No. 14 Floyd Schofield Jnr, who’s ranked No. 1 by the WBA.
Muratalla’s news came as The Ring reported Tuesday that Lomachenko, 38, is considering a comeback. Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of his title victory over George Kambosos.
An official familiar with the situation said Ukraine’s two-time Olympic gold-medalist Lomachenko is no longer under contract with his longtime professional promoter, Top Rank. In The Ring story, an official reported he only wants to participate in big fights.
Lomachenko has long wanted to fight recent WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, who has been out of the ring since March 1, 2025, partially due to a criminal domestic violence case in Florida.
Davis is being targeted for an early fall return bout, BoxingScene was told earlier this month.
“Or maybe he could fight Muratalla,” one official said.
