This Saturday night, Andy Cruz and Raymond Muratalla go head-to-head in a battle of skills. Cruz has an elite amateur pedigree and has adapted well in a short period of time at the paid ranks. Muratalla is a high-level counter puncher looking to set traps. This anticipated matchup will be live streaming on DAZN and promoted Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing.
Andy Cruz’s resume is chalk full of accomplishments before he turned pro. With a record of 140-9, Andy took home two gold medals at the Pan American Games and a Gold Medal in the 2020 Olympics by defeating Keyshawn Davis. Raymond Muratalla’s claim to fame as an amateur boxer is beating Ryan Garcia 3 times over a period starting when they were very young.
The California native has a better professional resume having faced a vet in Tevin Farmer, Jeremia Nakathila, and in his last outing Zaur Abdullaev. Born in Cuba, now fighting out of Miami, Florida, Cruz has gone the 10-round distance 3 times already in just six bouts. Andy’s most recent performance was impressive when he stopped Hironori Mishiro via TKO in the 5th round last summer.
Both men possess strengths and weaknesses which is a blanket statement for every fight. This will come down to who can execute their gameplan better than the other. The boxing fans who love a tactical affair will enjoy Saturday’s main event. While others will piss and moan on boxing twitter that nothing’s happening. Don’t let a slow start fool you; there will be plenty going on in the ring minor or major. Establishing a jab is a great place to start. It could also be used against the other boxer when timed properly.
This pair of boxers likes to set traps; it will be a matter of who will walk into more of them. High defense will be in place so that no one tries to take advantage of it. Landing to the body and straight punches through the high guard will pay dividends. Cruz favors working from the outside, circling while pumping his jab. Instead of sitting back or fighting in the middle of the ring, Raymond will need to use pressure wisely.
If Muratalla can force this fight to the center, then push Cruz back and work on the inside, it will increase his chances of winning. Footwork favors Cruz. Muratalla can’t get stuck following Andy around the ring, getting popped with Andy’s jab repeatedly. Counterpunching is what Muratalla is great at, but he can’t get lost in landing one big shot at a time. Cruz will be more active but can’t be overzealous in the 2nd half of the fight. Cruz can fall victim to overreaching with his punches at times. Which puts him in a dangerous spot.
This boxing podcaster believes Raymond Muratalla is a live dog. The Muratalla money line sits around +175 all the way up to +220. Muratalla by knockout is +420 and by decision +570. Cruz is –121 via a decision which is very good value and +300 by stoppage. This is right around a 60-40, maybe 65-35 or 55-45 type of fight. Not a true 50-50 on paper, but that goes out the window as soon as Muratalla finds success. Here’s hoping the fight is on the table in the championship rounds.
My Official Prediction is Andy Cruz by decision.
- Footwork favors Cruz
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Cruz cannot overreach
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Muratalla is a live dog
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Side Note: Israil Madrimov, Omari Jones, Khalil Coe, Zaquin Mosses among others are featured on the DAZN undercard.
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, The Grueling Truth Sports Network, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter
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