Promoter Eddie Hearn is excited about his fighter Andy Cruz and made it clear that signing him was the right move when he challenges IBF lightweight champion Raymond Mulatala on January 24, 2026 at Fontainebleau Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.

Cruz’s gold medal pedigree

After winning gold at the 2020 Olympics, Hearn will have the chance to sign Cuban phenom Cruz and he’ll be glad he made the right move. Other promoters passed up the chance to sign Andy.

Avoid it from day one

Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) has been shunned since turning pro in 2023. Unable to fight Shakur Stevenson, Keyshawn Davis and Geronta Davis, Cruz has been forced to work in obscurity despite having better amateur credentials than those fighters. None of them won a gold medal. Of course they didn’t publish 135-9 Amateur records like Cruz.

Muratara (23-0, 17 KOs) is considered the unlucky one by fans because he was recently elevated to the IBF 135-pound title after former belt holder Vasily Lomachenko chose to retire rather than fight him. He wasn’t fast enough to actively defend before the IBF ordered him to guard Andy Cruz.

Why Hearn is so confident

“Raymond is a fantastic boxer and a deserving world champion, but I believe he will face someone who will be difficult to beat, not just on January 24 but for many years to come. Andy has shown so far that he has all the tools to turn his amazing amateur success into long-term dominance at the elite level in the pay-per-view ranks, and We’ll see if I’m right in a good fight,said promoter Eddie Hearn.

Mulatala has good punching ability, but he has yet to fight Cruz in his nine-year career. The closest Mulatara will come to fighting someone like him is when he fights Tevin Farmer in 2024. But even he doesn’t look like Cruz.

Muratalla will defeat Zaur Abdullaev via 12-round unanimous decision on May 10, 2025 in San Diego. He captured the interim IBF lightweight title with the win.