Undefeated lightweight contender Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) is all set to seize his championship opportunity.
The 28-year-old fighting pride of Fontana, California, will take on Russian Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) for the vacant Interim IBF lightweight world title on Saturday, May 10, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
Muratalla-Abdullaev will be the co-feature to the WBO junior lightweight world title showdown between reigning king Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and unbeaten Filipino challenger Charly Suarez, broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10pm ET/7pm PT.
IBF #4 Muratalla surged into world title contention in 2023, after knocking out big-punching Jeremia Nakathila in two rounds in May before stopping Diego Torres in eight rounds in November.
During 2024, he picked up 10-round decisions over Xolisani Ndongeni in March and former world champion Tevin Farmer in July, before icing out Jesus Perez with a stunning second-round stoppage in November.
IBF #2 Abdullaev has won nine straight fights since a 2019 defeat to Devin Haney, including impressive victories over former world champions Jorge Linares, Dejan Zlaticanin, and Roger Gutierrez.
Following a recent training session at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, Muratalla shared his delight at landing the Interim title shot, “This is a huge opportunity for me, my family, and my team. This is exciting and motivating because it gets me one step closer to even bigger fights.
“I want to get these big fights that everyone wants to see. My main goal is to get past Zaur Abdullaev, so I can start calling out for these big fights everyone wants to see. But I’m not looking past him. I know this will be a tough one.
“Zaur Abdullaev has improved a lot as a fighter. He’s gotten better since the Devin Haney fight. That was a few years ago, and now he’s on a winning streak.
“I know he’s coming to fight. And he’s not just here to fight, he’s here to win. And I’m on the same page. So, it’s going to be a good one. I can’t wait.
“He comes forward with a high guard. He’s strong, but I think he’s a little too slow for me. I have too many skills and different things he hasn’t seen yet. At the same time, I feel there are a lot of skills that I haven’t even shown yet.
“I’m ready to go. This is something that all fighters dream of. I’ve put in all the work to get here. And I’m ready to show out on May 10!”
