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Andy Cruz is doing poorly against Raymond Muratalla

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Andy Cruz Comes Up Short Against Raymond Muratalla

Author: Sean Crose

IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla faced Andy Cruz in the main event of the Matchroom gala, which aired live Saturday night on DAZN from Las Vegas. Cruz, a former gold medalist from Cuba, brought a 6-0 undefeated record to the ring and was in the pre-fight spotlight despite not being the champion. Muratalla, however, hoped to show the world that hype isn’t the only thing it takes to become a world titleholder. The fight was scheduled for 12-3 minute championship rounds. It’s worth noting that while Cruz had an undefeated record, Muratalla was 33-0 as well

The first few rounds were brisk and fun to watch. Each player made several good shots and neither opponent seemed to have an advantage over the other. While it seemed like Cruz could have been faster, Muratalla certainly landed his punches. Halfway through the fight, it was challenging to tell who was winning who. The champion did a very good job of putting pressure on the brisk and agile challenger. However, Cruz had incredible speed and very good accuracy with his shots. It has undoubtedly been an fascinating fight up to this point.

When the match reached the championship rounds, it was surprisingly still quite close. Indeed, neither man took control of the fight, even though both men did quite well. The truth was that it was a very challenging match to decide. Both fighters fought effectively, Muratalla exerted pressure, and Cruz exerted pressure with the speed and accuracy of his punches. Needless to say, the championship rounds did not disappoint. What was surprising was that neither fighter seemed to snail-paced down, even as the fight approached the half hour mark and beyond.

When all was said and done, the judges awarded Muratalla the win. Not that Cruz said anything to be ashamed of. He fought very well and only had a few fights on his CV. There is no doubt that if you look at it properly, Cruz could learn from his failure and move on to other things, perhaps even bigger things. He is still a teenage man, he has a career ahead of him. As for Muratalla, he credited his pressure with leading him to victory. “He tried to counter me,” he said of Cruz, “but I didn’t let it.”

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Boxing

Jai Opetaia defeats Brandon Glanton over 12 rounds in Vegas

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Image: Opetaia Defeats Brandon ‘Bulletproof’ Glanton

In the fifth round, Opetai’s right uppercut to the head again hurt Glanton in the final minute. In the sixth round, Opetaia continued his body attack and took another round, while Glanton lost a point for holding. In the last minute of the seventh round, both fighters exchanged blows. In the eighth round, Glanton landed several low blows and lost a point from referee Allen Huggins.

In the ninth round, both fighters had their moments. Opetaia continued to work the body as Glanton ended the round with a punch to the chin. In the tenth round, Opetaia landed a right uppercut to Glanton’s body. Just when it looked like Glanton might be ready to attack, he counterattacked and landed straight into Opetai’s body.

In the eleventh round, Opetaia lost a point for holding. In the twelfth and final round, the action was still competitive at the bell.

All three judges scored the fight 119-106.

Retains Saracho Rooms

Ricardo Adan Salas stopped Jesus “Junior” Saracho at 2:05 of the eighth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.

In the first round, Salas’ last-minute shot shocked Saracho. In the second round, both had their moments in a close round. In the third round, Salas landed a pair of rights to Saracho’s chin in the final seconds and won the round.

In the last 30 seconds of the fourth round, Saracho landed a combination to the chin, but in the final seconds Salas responded with a quick attack and took the round. In the fifth round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the body that hurt Saracho midway through the round. In the last seconds, Salas landed several punches again and won the round.

In the sixth round, Salas landed a left hook to the body that hurt Saracho in the first minute, although Saracho fought well for the rest of the round. In the seventh round, Salas landed a right uppercut to the chin that hurt Saracho, and the two exchanged punches midway through the round. Salas finished the round stronger, working his body well.

In the eighth round, Salas hurt Saracho with several body blows as the referee looked ready to step in. Salas landed to the body again, hurting Saracho and forcing referee Robert Hoyle to stop the fight.

Panin stops the group

Vlad “Super Bad” Panin stopped Shinard Bunch at 2:29 of the ninth round of a scheduled 10-round fight.

It was a one-sided fight lasting eight rounds, with Panin dominating. In the ninth round, Panin landed a series of punches, forcing referee Allen Huggins to stop.

Palma defeats Rubio

Adan Palma won a split decision over Pablo “Shark” Rubio Jr. over eight innings after scoring two knockdowns.

In the third round, Palma’s left hook knocked down Rubio for eight. Moments later, Palma dropped Rubio again, landing another right to the chin. In the fourth round, Rubio fought back, although Palma’s left hook was still effective.

In the fifth round, Palma landed a pair of left hooks to the chin. Rubio responded with a combination at the bell in the close round. In the sixth round, Rubio landed several unanswered punches mid-round to even the fight.

In the eighth and final round, Rubio rallied strongly.

The scores were 76-74 for Rubio and 78-77 for Palma twice.

Juarez wins by decision

Joshua Jay Juarez defeated Jardae Anderson in eight rounds.

Juarez used his attacking style to put pressure on Anderson while also scoring points with his hand speed and power shots. The pace slowed in the second half of the fight until the final ten seconds when both fighters exchanged.

The scores were 77-75, 79-73 and 78-74.

Ramos and Perez draw

Jaycob Ramos fought Ethan Perez for most of six rounds.

Both fighters hit the canvas during the fight. In the second round, Perez dropped Ramos with a left hand for an eight count. Ramos managed to survive until the bell.

In the third round, Ramos returned the favor, dropping Perez with a right hand to get the count back to eight.

The scores were 57-55 Ramos and 56-56 twice.

Ochoa and Serrano tied

Brady Ochoa fought six rounds against Adrian Serrano to a majority draw.

The competitors fought for six rounds of competition.

The scores were 58-56 Ochoa and 57-57 twice.

Alvarado wins by decision

Emiliano Alvarado defeated Eric Rosado in six rounds.

After losing the opening round, Alvarado dropped Rosado in the second round and controlled the remainder of the fight.

All scores were 59-55.

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Boxing

Shakur Stevenson only sees one winner in Canelo vs. David Benavidez: ‘I’m a fan’

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Shakur Stevenson sees only one winner in Canelo vs David Benavidez: “I’m a fan”

Shakur Stevenson gave a balanced assessment of why the fight between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez has not yet taken place.

Both multi-weight world champions seemed to be on a collision course at 168 pounds, with Canelo reigning as the undisputed king.

Meanwhile, Benavidez held the “interim” WBC title after becoming a two-time super middleweight world champion and awaited his mandatory shot at the full WBC title.

This opportunity, however, never materialized as Canelo continued to defend his undisputed crown against alternative opposition.

During that time, the Mexican had one-sided points victories over the likes of John Ryder and Jermell Charlo, but was widely criticized for failing to face his most formidable rival, Benavidez.

Benavidez has since won the WBC 175-pound title and now looks set to become a three-weight world champion against Gilberto Ramirez, whom he will face on May 2 for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles.

This may seem like a bold move, but the 29-year-old’s physique will enable him to develop into an effective 200-pound operator, while Canelo is clearly best suited at 168 pounds.

The natural size difference therefore made their clash even less likely, as Stevenson points out Joe Rogan that in his opinion this is the most significant factor.

“Benavidez is too large for Canelo. I see both sides. I love Benavidez and I’m a fan of his, so I see the ‘fight me, brother’ side.”

“But then I see Canelo’s attitude. He’s like, ‘Man, this guy regularly weighs 200 pounds. I don’t get anywhere near that weight, so I ask myself, ‘Why would I fight this guy?'”

Despite a unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford, Canelo was promised a shot at the world championship by Turki Alalshikh in Riyad, Saudi Arabia in September this year.

Potential options include Christian Mbilli and Jose Armando Resendiz, the respective WBC and WBA champions, while the IBF and WBO super middleweight world titles remain vacant following Crawford’s retirement.

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Eddie Hearn clarifies Turkie’s shoe shine comment

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Image: Eddie Hearn explains remark about cleaning Turki Alalshikh’s shoes

“If you ask me to immaculate your shoes, I will immaculate them,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground. “But basically the reference was that I said I wasn’t too proud to know my position and the opportunities open to me.”

Over the past two years, Saudi Arabia has financed a series of major boxing events, combining several championship fights that had been stalled in customary negotiations. Matchroom-promoted fighters have appeared on a number of Riyad’s season cards during this period, including major title fights and heavyweight events featuring some of the sport’s most recognizable names.

Hearn said his approach has always been elementary. When an opportunity arises that will benefit the players and the company, the priority is to take advantage of it rather than worrying about what the moment will look like in public.

“My senior man says if you walk past a fivepence coin on the floor you’ll pick it up,” Hearn said. “If a great opportunity comes along, we make money and I enjoy it, no problem.”

Hearn added that he expects to continue working with Turki on future boxing events, despite the occasional public exchange. Several promoters now partner with Saudi-backed events, and financing has become a regular feature of the sport’s biggest fight negotiations.

“I think he enjoys working with us,” Hearn said. “He will always do what suits him and we will continue to do what suits us and our players.”

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