Cruz Pursues Vacant Title In Russia After Muratalla Loss

Andy Cruz will travel to Russia to fight Artur Subkhankulov for the vacant lightweight title on November 27th in Ufa, the IBA announced.

Cruz, a two-time Olympic gold medalist now 7-1 with 4 knockouts as a professional, suffered his first pro defeat in January when he dropped a majority decision to Raymond Muratalla. The Cuban bounced back by stopping Abraham Montoya in three rounds and is now a free agent taking the fight on hostile ground.

Subkhankulov enters 12-0 with 6 knockouts and defeated Cruz by split decision in a 2019 amateur bout. The Russian has beaten solid figures on the Eurasian circuit, most notably highly ranked Bakhodir Usmonov in April, per Bad Left Hook. At 34 years old after more than a decade in the amateurs, he lacks marquee wins but represents a legitimate challenge for the former Olympian.

The IBA.PRO card should stream on the IBA's YouTube channel. The winner claims the belt left vacant by Muratalla's move up in weight.