Raymond Muratalla has been elevated to full IBF lightweight champion following the retirement of Vasiliy Lomachenko. The bout between Andy Cruz and Hironori Mishiro is now expected to determine the next mandatory contender, according to a statement from the International Boxing Federation.
Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) landed the interim belt in May, defeating Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision on the undercard of Emanuel Navarrete vs Charly Suarez in San Diego, CA. Post-fight, the native of West Covina, CA, said he wanted to face Vasiliy Lomachenko, who held the full title.
Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) of Ukraine announced his retirement in June. The 37-year-old three-division champion once again landed a world title last May, stopping George Kambosos Jr. in the 11th round in Perth, Australia.
Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) of Cuba and Japan’s Hironori Mishiro (17-1-1, 6 KOs) square off in an IBF lightweight title eliminator on June 14 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The contest serves as the co-feature to Richardson Hitchins vs George Kambosos Jr.