Raymond Muratalla vs. Andy Cruz Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Andy Cruz represents the big-name opponent that Raymond Muratalla has craved to enhance his fight profile.

Muratalla will look to defend his IBF lightweight world championship against the Olympic gold medalist and decorated Cuban Saturday night in Las Vegas, and live on DAZN.

Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) earned the IBF interim title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Zaur Abdullaev last May before being elevated to the full status world champion following former titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko’s retirement. He faces Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) who was busier in 2025 with a unanimous decision over Omar Salcido in January before defeating Hinori Mishiro via fifth-round TKO in June.

Will Muratalla open eyes with a statement victory over Cruz? Or will Cruz conquer this step up in competition to become the new world champion? With the stakes high, DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both the champ and challenger.

Raymond Muratalla’s Keys to Victory

Let hands go

Raymond Muratalla is often guilty of not letting his hands go enough.

Against a busy technician like Andy Cruz, who could drown Muratalla out with volume, the champion must make it a conscious effort to drive his punch count up — especially early.

He does not want to fall behind on judges’ scorecards because of a lack of output.

Pressure Cruz in bursts with combinations

Watch Muratalla operate and the Fontana, California native is arguably at his best when picking his spots and pressuring in bursts.

This might be an invaluable tactic against Cruz as the disciplined Cuban fighter, who likes to dictate the pace, could find himself on the receiving end of an unsuspecting combination.

It sometimes takes Muratalla a while to let his hands go but when he does, the champion pieces together his combinations effectively and with some oomph. When he sees any openings, Muratalla must seize the moment off the front foot, luring the eyes of judges inside Bleau Live Arena in Las Vegas.

Muratalla can do this by doubling up on the jab, incorporating an uppercut or piercing body shot to end his combos.

Do not get overzealous

Muratalla sees his power shots being a difference maker against Cruz and he must try to fight that into existence.

However, in doing so, Muratalla cannot afford to get overzealous and too wide on his attempts. He does that and Cruz will make him pay with sharp counterpunching accuracy.

Muratalla must take chances but be measured in that risk taking.

Andy Cruz’ Keys to Victory

Pepper Muratalla with the jab

Andy Cruz steps into his jab and delivers it with snap, seemingly every time he throws it.

This active stick can go long ways toward keeping a potent puncher like Raymond Muratalla at bay.

If Cruz can assert the jab early, the Cuban fighter should look to pepper the champion with it as much as possible to dictate the pace of this title bout.

Frustrate Muratalla with punch selection

What makes Cruz a complex puzzle to solve is that sometimes opponents just do not know where his output is going. His ability to disguise his punches is that good.

Take his jab for instance. In landing it to the face with some consistency, Cruz might look like he’s lasering another shot upstairs only to stab to the body. Then, when it appears he’s making another deposit to the midsection, Cruz is firing away at the head.

This kind of punch selection sorcery could frustrate Muratalla on Saturday night.

Beat Muratalla to the punch with high volume

In conjunction with the jab and punch palette, Cruz should look to beat Muratalla to the punch early and often to control the ring real estate and broker the terms on how this fight will go.

If Cruz emerges as the busier fighter with the higher punch volume, it could force Muratalla to scrap with urgency. That could leave the champ vulnerable for some pointed counterpunching, resulting in a new IBF lightweight titleholder.

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV's included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, including Lopez vs. Stevenson, and Barrois vs Garcia, on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here.