On Thursday, Matchroom tweeted, "Purse bid won. Andy Cruz will challenge for Raymond Muratalla’s IBF world 135-pound title in early 2026 [to be broadcast] on DAZN Boxing." In June, after the IBF received notification that its lightweight champion, the great Vasily Lomachenko, was retiring, Muratalla was upgraded from interim lightweight champion to full IBF lightweight  champion status. Muratalla has a pro record of 23-0. Later in June, Cruz defeated Hironori Mishiro to become the mandatory challenger. From Cuba, Cruz is listed as 6-0, but Boxingtalk recognizes his record as 22-0 due to paid bouts in the World Series of Boxing.