Latest news with #RaymondMuratalla
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Andy Cruz Faces Hironori Mishiro In IBF Lightweight Final Eliminator
Andy Cruz Faces Hironori Mishiro In IBF Lightweight Final Eliminator originally appeared on Athlon Sports. By Peter Raburu Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) will face Hironori Mishiro (17-1-16 KOs) in a final IBF Lightweight eliminator this Saturday, June 14th, at 7:00 pm. Advertisement This match will determine Raymond Muratalla's next opponent, who is currently a 135-pound champion. Cruz previously defeated Omar Sacido Gamezz in his prior fight. The fight results are believed to suit the champion, Andy Cruz, forcing Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) to prepare even harder before potentially fighting Cruz. This comes after Murattalla defeated Zaur Abdullaev for the IBF interim title on May 10th. Raymond's battles are fairly predictable, and he has been criticized for being one-dimensional, only fighting in one gear, and lacking a killer instinct. Cruz has proven to be a nightmare for opponents in the 135-pound category. This comes after top Rank fighter Keyshawn Davis made it obvious that he did not want to fight Cruz after being battered with whips four times in their amateur battles. Keyshawn made various dubious justifications, and now he's set to face the nightmare again. Will he make excuses again or face the nightmare? Advertisement Mishiro, on the other hand, remains in fifth place in the IBF rankings, and this fight is an opportunity for the former Japanese Lightweight Champion to make his American debut in the biggest fight of his career. He is confident and optimistic about landing the title shot for himself. 'I've put in the hard work and dedication, and I can't wait to step into the ring again,' said Cruz. 'This fight isn't just about winning; it's about showing my people the passion I have for the sport. I'm ready to prove that I'm a contender and bring that W home!' said Mishiro in a YouTube interview. 'I want to thank Matchroom for allowing me to fight in the US,' said Mishiro. 'I'm excited and motivated for such a great opportunity. I have fought as the underdog many times, and I look forward to making another big upset on June 14,' said Mishiro in a YouTube interview. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
How a crazy week has shifted the lightweight division landscape drastically
In boxing, one decision can have a domino effect that changes the entire look of a division overnight. Some divisions are so delicately poised that fighters wait on the sidelines, waiting for the status quo to collapse whilst hoping things fall in place for their own personal gain. In the lightweight division, it was not just one decision that caused ripples throughout the weight class, but a crazy week has seen the entire picture at 135lbs completely change. Vasyl Lomachenko's confirmed retirement clarifies IBF landscape Vasyl Lomachenko announced his retirement from professional boxing last week, putting to bed a year of speculation regarding his future in the sweet science. Negotiations for a unification bout with WBC champion Gervonta 'Tank' Davis fizzled out last year, with the 37-year-old vague when discussing his retirement plans. Lomachenko had been on hiatus for some time, fighting just once in two years, before his year-long absence dragging on long enough for the IBF to start looking for an interim champion. Raymond Muratalla only served as interim for a month after defeating Zaur Abdullaev in May, with Lomachenko's official retirement seeing the American promoted to full champion this week. The full IBF title picture will be made fully clear by the end of this week. Prior to Lomachenko's retirement, the sanctioning body did not list a fighter at number one or two in their rankings, owning to the fact that Muratalla was effectively both champion and mandatory. This weekend, third-ranked Andy Cruz takes on the IBF's fifth-highest rated lightweight Hironori Mishiro on the undercard of Hitchins-Kambosos Jr, with the bout serving as a final eliminator for mandatory status. As such, Muratalla's first fight as full champion will likely be a defence against either Crux or Mishiro, rather than a unification bout with a divisional rival. Missing weight sees Keyshawn Davis drop out of title picture A few months ago, Keyshawn Davis was aiming to unify his WBO title with Lomachenko's IBF belt. Fast forward to June, and neither man has a belt anymore. Days after Lomachenko announced his retirement, Davis forfeited his WBO lightweight strap after missing weight by four pounds. His challenger, Edwin De Los Santos, backed out from the fight after concessions could not be made. It remains to be seen whether Davis will continue to operate at lightweight, or whether he will now make the jump to 140 pounds. Davis' failure to make weight has its consequences, both for the American, and the division at large. De Los Santos, a previous challenger for the WBC lightweight title, looks to be bypassed, with the WBO reportedly interested in pitting Abdullah Mason against Sam Noakes for the vacant belt. Noakes is number one with the organisation, with Mason ranked just behind in second. Both fighters are unbeaten with impressive knockout power, Noakes stopping 15 opponents from 17 bouts, Mason securing 17 early stoppages from 19 fights. Unification bouts seem some distance away The unification conversation at 135lbs is firmly in the future tense, with the two other lightweight champions already scheduled to make defences in their next bouts. Shakur Stevenson is next in action, the WBC champion facing the organisation's interim title holder, William Zepeda, live on DAZN July 12th in New York. WBA belt holder Gervonta 'Tank' Davis is reportedly in action the following month, facing Lamont Roach in a rematch on August 16th. Davis and Roach shared a controversial draw earlier this year, outraging stemming from Tank taking a knee that was not declared a knockdown. The division has not been completely unified since Devin Haney defeated George Kambosos Jr in 2022, nor have any of the belts been unified since Haney moved up to super lightweight in 2023. It seems likely that the division will remain fractured beyond 2025, but the shaken-up status of the weight class may lend itself to unification in the not-so distant future.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raymond Muratalla: The Rising Force Redefining Knockouts
Raymond Muratalla's ascent to professional athlete status is a plain show of mental strength in pursuit of excellence. Making his debut in 2016, his record 22- 0- 17 KOS has earned him rankings with various boxing bodies. Advertisement Nicknamed 'Danger', he is ranked 1st by WBO, 4th by IBF, and 6th by The Ring at lightweight. While keeping active with three fights in 2023 and three fights in 2024, he has managed to stop four of his opponents. The most recent knockout was on Jesus Antonio Perez Campos in the 2nd round on November 2, 2024, in Venora, United States. Before that, he won by unanimous decision against Tevin Farmer in 10 rounds on July 13, 2024. In the same year, Muratalla bagged another unanimous decision win in 10 rounds against Xolisani Ndongeni on March 29th, 2024. Back in 2023, he made a record of three consecutive knockouts on opponents, Diego Torres Nunez on November 4th in the 8th round, Jeremiah Nakathila on May 20th in the second round, and finally, against his first opponent in 2023, Humberto Galindo on March 25th in the 9th round. Standing at 173 cm (5'8') with a reach of 183 cm (73 inches), Muratalla, in his orthodox stance, is set to face opponent Zaur Abdullaev, 20-1-0, a Russian professional boxer, on 10th May 2025. The venue of the match will be at Pechanga Arena, San Diego, United States. Live following will broadcast on Sky Sports Action in the UK and ESPN in the United States. With records of NABF, WBO, and NABO titles, Muratalla has an assignment to retain his grounds this weekend among boxing elites and make a shaking impact in the lightweight division.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez live results, round-by-round updates, ring walks for WBO title fight
Emanuel Navarrete puts his WBO super featherweight title up for grabs against Charly Suarez at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. () Uncrowned has Emanuel Navarrete vs. Charly Suarez live results, round-by-round updates, highlights, ring walks and start time for the Navarrete vs. Suarez fight card on Saturday night at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. In the night's main event, WBO super featherweight champion Navarrete puts his title back on the line against unbeaten contender Suarez. Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs), a three-division world champion, demolished Oscar Valdez with a sixth-round stoppage to defend his WBO belt this past December. The performance put Navarrete, 30, back in the win column following to a draw against Robson Conceicao in November 2023 and then a split-decision setback against Denys Berinchyk in his quest to become a four-weight world champion in May 2024. Advertisement Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) steps into his first world title opportunity at the age of 36 after earning a third-round stoppage of Jorge Castaneda in September to win the vacant WBO International super featherweight title. A one-time Olympian, Suarez represented the Philippines at the 2016 Summer Games. In the evening's co-featured bout, Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) and Zaur Abdullaev (19-1, 11 KOs) battle for the IBF interim lightweight title. The Navarrete vs. Suarez prelims begin at 6:10 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN+. The main card starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with main event ring walks expected around 11 p.m. ET. Advertisement Follow all of the action with Uncrowned's live results, highlights and play-by-play of the main card below. Main Card (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+) WBO super featherweight title: Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez IBF interim lightweight title: Raymond Muratalla vs Zaur Abdullaev Super featherweight: Andres Cortes vs. Salvador Jimenez Welterweight: Giovani Santillan vs. Angel Beltran Featherweight: Albert Gonzalez vs. Jose Guardado Prelims (6:10 p.m. ET, ESPN+) Super lightweight: Sammy Contreras vs. Dyllon Cervantes Women's super flyweight: Perla Bazaldua vs. Mona Ward Lightweight: Alan Garcia def. Cristian Medina Garcia via unanimous decision (79-73 x3) Super bantamweight: Sebastian Hernandez def. Azat Hovhannisyan via unanimous decision (98-91 x3) [Watch video]
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Navarrete vs Suarez: Live updates and results, 10 pm ET
Emanuel Navarrete will return to defend his WBO super featherweight title tonight, having barely made weight to face mandatory challenger Charly Suarez in a main event from San Diego, California. Navarrete is defending the belt he last put up against Oscar Valdez in a successful rematch defense last December in Phoenix, while Suarez hasn't fought since a September win over Jorge Castaneda in a TKO-3 victory, In the chief support, Raymond Muratalla will fight Zaur Abdullaev for the interim IBF lightweight title. Advertisement Prelims will start around 6 pm ET on ESPN+, with the main card going live with Wil Esco on the live coverage at 10 pm ET on ESPN and ESPN+. Main Card (ESPN and ESPN+, 10 pm ET) Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KO) vs Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KO), super featherweights, 12 rounds, for Navarrete's WBO title Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KO) vs Zaur Adullaev (20-1, 12 KO), lightweights, for interim IBF title More from
