Boxing
Andy Cruz vs. Raymond Muratalla has clear answers
Published
3 months agoon
This alone is enough to arrange a viewing.
Muratalla is a good master. This shouldn’t be controversial. He’s solid everywhere, hits tough enough to earn respect, and doesn’t beat himself up. If you’re building a fighter in a lab to consistently win rounds and avoid disasters, you could do much worse than Muratalla. Remains balanced. He doesn’t panic. He understands where he is in the ring.
But when you put him up against Andy Cruz, all that stability starts to look like a ceiling rather than a foundation.
Cruz is extraordinary. He’s not flashy, he’s not reckless, he’s not trying to prove how shrewd he is – he’s just different in the way his reactions are violent and his body takes up space. He does ordinary things at a speed that disrupts his opponents before they can placid down. This is the main issue here. Muratalla feels comfortable when exchanges take place at a readable pace. Cruz doesn’t let this momentum continue for too long.
Watch Cruz launch his attack. There is no charging phase. No noticeable decision making. Blows appear where opponents expect a break. His jab is not only quick; this is synchronized with the position of his foot, so that he is already leaving when a counterattack is being considered. It’s tough to steal momentum from someone who never fully commits to it.
Muratalla can counterattack. He’s good at it. But opposing Cruz requires precision that borders on the theoretical. You don’t react to what you see. You guess where he’ll be in half a second. Guess wrong and you eat another portion or skip the window altogether.
Defensively, Muratalla gives Cruz opportunities that didn’t require much support to find. He moves backwards in a straight line. While circling, he leans heavily on his leading foot. Experiments with a defensive look that works best when the opponent lacks speed or imagination. Cruz has no problem.
That doesn’t mean Cruz is untouchable. Is not. It was cut off. It was publicized. However, there is a difference between vulnerability and exposure. Most of the success his opponents had against him was due to timing anomalies rather than sustained control. Once Cruz is fully conscious, his recovery is immediate. It resets faster than opponents can take advantage of it.
He is more developed offensively than is often given credit. He eagerly goes down. Introduces the uppercut into the game. His right hand is encumbered enough to demand respect, and once that respect is established, everything else will open up. Muratalla’s best punches usually come when opponents make mistakes. Cruz’s best punches come because he creates mistakes.
In this case, the fight is less about stamina and more about throughput. Muratalla will have his moments. He will win the rounds. He will make pristine shots. But the accumulation favors Cruz – not only in terms of results, but also in rhythm control. Over twelve rounds that control relationships.
The danger, as always, is leveling. Anyone can get caught. Boxing allows for chaos. But when you strip away the romanticism of possibility and look at the mechanics, it’s tough to find a path that doesn’t lead to the same conclusion.
Cruz just operates on a different level of reaction.
This doesn’t diminish Muratalla. If anything, it proves its value as a measuring stick. Losing to a fighter like Cruz doesn’t expose flaws as much as it sets limits. And this is useful information in a section where there are many names and lack of transparency.
This fight deserves attention not because it is thunderous, but because it is fair. This is not a dream sale. Presents the verdict.
You can still enjoy your rounds. You can still appreciate the changes. You can still get caught up in the moment. Knowing where it’s going doesn’t cheapen the experience. It just changes the way you watch it.
Sometimes the destination is obvious. However, this does not mean that it is not worth going on such a journey.
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Boxing
Canelo Camp announces Resendiz-Munguia as the winner next
Published
16 minutes agoon
April 25, 2026
Eddy Reynoso may have said more than he intended when discussing Canelo Alvarez’s next move, as his comments pointed less to Christian Mbilli and more to the winner of next week’s Jaime Munguia-Armando Resendiz fight
Canelo is expected to return to Riyadh for the season in September after recovering from surgery on his left elbow. Reynoso told Ring magazine that the plan remains super middleweight and named several possible opponents, including Mbilli. However, the strongest language in the interview was the conversation about the May 2 fight between Munguia and Resendiz for the WBA title.
“This time it’s Munguia against Resendiz in a pan-Mexico fight on a pan-Mexico card,” Reynoso told Ring Magazine, discussing Cinco de Mayo weekend. “This is going to be an amazing fight and we are prepared to win. This fight is going to be so good that it will steal the show. They have the ingredients to distract from the main event.”
This was unique because Reynoso trains Munguia and has a direct stake in the outcome, but it also sounded like early preparation for what comes next. If Munguia wins, a rematch with Canelo will be an straightforward sell to the Mexican crowd and an straightforward one to build to. If Resendiz wins, he will arrive with the belt and fresh momentum.
After his recent victory over Lester Martinez, Reynoso mentioned Mbilli as a “massive challenge,” but the tone was different. This sounded like one option on the list as the Munguia-Resendiz fight gained full popularity.
Canelo’s team has also ruled out other routes. Reynoso said the David Benavidez fight is now over and suggested there is little chance of seeing it again. Staying at 168 pounds also reduces the likelihood of a rematch with Dmitry Bivol.
This leaves less room than it initially seemed. When camps start praising one fight with such a hard month ahead of time, it’s usually worth paying attention to.
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Last updated: 25/04/2026 at 13:22
Boxing
Victor Ortiz was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather, but names an opponent who was ‘much better’
Published
2 hours agoon
April 25, 2026
Floyd Mayweather’s last knockout victory over a legal opponent came in 2011 against Victor Ortiz, but despite the stoppage loss, the fighter known as “Vicious” claims he once fought a much better opponent.
It was a highly controversial moment when Mayweather knocked out Ortiz for the WBC welterweight title more than a decade ago, and the fourth round of their fight turned out to be full of drama.
Ortiz threw combinations on the ropes against Mayweather, but then got reckless and led with his head, prompting the referee to deduct a point.
With Ortiz paying no attention to the resumption of the fight, Mayweather fired a tough shot that knocked down and then knocked out his opponent, proving the elderly adage to always protect yourself.
Mayweather is undoubtedly the biggest name Ortiz has ever adopted, but while the boxing legend can be considered one of the best of all time, Ortiz told TalkSport that Andre Berto was better.
“He (Mayweather) is not the best opponent I’ve faced. Without a doubt, not. The best opponent I’ve faced was Andre Berto; he was much better. Andre Berto is a top-shelf pound-for-pound king. He knocked me down, I knocked him down, he got up, he knocked me down again.”
“This man showed everything: quality, heart, skill. Whatever, he’s got it. Someone like Floyd has what? Counter, running? That same year, I bought him some sprint shots at a press conference. My brother also bought him a box of tampons.
“But Andre Berto is special. I have the utmost respect for him. He has power in both hands; he is the total package. Someone with Floyd can’t compete with that.”
Ortiz defeated Berto to win the WBC welterweight title in a fight before facing Mayweather, which would be the first defeat of Berto’s professional career.
Berto’s final record was 32 wins and 6 losses, and during their meeting in September 2015, he suffered a one-sided defeat to Mayweather himself.
Mayweather competed just once again after the Berto fight, when he knocked out MMA fighter Conor McGregor in August 2017, although he is scheduled to return to fight former opponent Manny Pacquiao in September provided that the current problems can be solved.
Many fans on social media suspect that Miller is once again chasing Joshua just to secure a huge payday, which he threw away when failed drug tests canceled their 2019 fight.
Joshua wants a tune-up before he finally meets Tyson Fury. The plan is to shake off the rust and keep his record pristine before this huge event happens. This gap in the schedule gives other heavyweights a chance to make their voices heard, and Miller takes advantage of the moment.
Miller is still a controversial name, but he knows how to cause offense. Beating Pero would aid him prove that he still belongs in this conversation.
“Your whooping cough will come sooner or later. You can run, but you can’t hide,” Jarrell Miller said on Matchroom.
From a business perspective, Joshua’s team is focused on the Tyson Fury event. Facing an aggressive, volume hitter like Miller in a comeback fight would be risky. If Joshua wins, critics may view it as defeating a challenger who has spent years outside the elite mix. If he loses, Fury’s payout and his position will take damage.
Miller has built much of his reputation on noise and confrontation, but he’s still trying to fight his way into the majors. A victory over Pero won’t put him in a fight with Joshua right away, but it will keep him in the wider discussion.
Joshua’s team may still choose the safer and more controlled option of a return, especially if negotiations with Fury progress behind the scenes. Risking that payday against a hazardous or inconvenient opponent wouldn’t make much sense.
Still, Miller continues to cling to the story whenever Joshua’s name resurfaces in the headlines. Heavyweight boxing has a long memory, and some unfinished fights remain useful long after the first fall.
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most vital fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
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