Blue Monday has come and gone, February is on the horizon and the boxing action is beginning to heat up as we chase a memorable 2026.
January is typically a quiet month in the fight game — I mean, who wants to be in camp over the holidays? — but we’re being spoiled this weekend by a lightweight title fight that could well prove to be an early contender for Fight of the Year.
Advertisement
I know, I know, that’s a little presumptuous. But in Andy Cruz and Raymond Muratalla, we have one of the best stylistic matchups you could dream of in the historic 135-pound division.
But before they touch gloves, have both men emailed Vasiliy Lomachanko in preparation of the Ukrainian great mailing his vacated IBF lightweight crown to Saturday night’s winner?
Let’s take a closer look at some of the five biggest things to look out for this weekend in the world of boxing.
1. Cruz steps up in pursuit of lightweight glory, with Lomachenko as inspiration
Famous last words and all … but there is no way that Andy Cruz and Raymond Muratalla don’t throw down a memorable fight on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Advertisement
As previously mentioned, it’s Vasiliy Lomachenko’s vacated IBF lightweight title on the line inside the Fontainebleau, and Cuban Andy Cruz will be attempting to follow in the Ukrainian’s footsteps in more ways than one.
It’s Cruz’s seventh fight in the pro ranks after dominating the amateur ranks — he won two Pan American Games golds, three World Championship golds and a gold at the 2020 Olympic Games, racking up a 135-9 record in the process. But at a mature 30 years of age, Cruz is widely regarded to be ready for this jump toward pro world honors.
His adversary, Muratalla, disagrees with this narrative.
By contrast, the American champion — fighting out of Fontana, California — has been a pro since 2016 and has moved seamlessly to 23 professional wins without a loss. “I think it’s too soon for him,” the 29-year-old expressed during their first press conference. “I think it’s a huge step up for him.”
Advertisement
Cruz’s story has been likened to that of Lomachenko’s — the last man to hold the IBF’s lightweight title before Muratalla was elevated from interim status. Lomachenko won world honors in his third fight as a pro, scooping the WBO’s featherweight title at the second time of asking. He came up short, controversially, to Orlando Salido in his first attempt.
In Muratalla, Cruz has a dance partner on Saturday night who packs a mean punch, is dangerous in the pocket and will match Cruz’s spiteful output for as long as the argument lasts.
Cruz is a healthy favorite with the BetMGM oddsmakers, but in uncharted waters for the Cuban it could soon turn into a story of sink or swim.
2. Walsh spearheads Zuffa Boxing’s launch with Paramount
Boxing is a bloody hard profession — and this can often be forgotten when the narrative of the sport concentrates on the suits who sit safely outside the ropes.
Advertisement
Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing will make its long-awaited debut with Paramount this weekend in Las Vegas, with Callum Walsh vs. Carlos Ocampo headlining the card that sits inside Sin City’s Meta Apex.
And it’s fair to say this fight — topping a bill of fairly underwhelming one-sided fights — has drawn criticism across the sport’s media landscape. That’s fine. When you’re a personality as bold and as brash as White, it can be no surprise that eyebrows will be raised at this event after so many claims that he was going to move the dial of boxing and be its disruptor.
Friday night’s card isn’t a sign of that — more the first step of a journey that could take several years to get off the ground.
But that’s OK, and in criticizing White, it’s important that hard-working, dedicated talents such Walsh and those who will put their lives on the line on Friday night aren’t thrown under the bus in the process.
Israil Madrimov looks to get back in the win column after back-to-back setbacks.
(Richard Pelham via Getty Images)
3. Madrimov returns after Crawford and Ortiz Jr. losses
Speaking of boxing being a hard sport, spare a thought for Israil Madrimov.
Advertisement
The 30-year-old Uzbek has a professional record reading 10-2-1 (7 KOs) but it’s fair to say that doesn’t tell the complete story.
After going unbeaten in his first six years as a pro, Madrimov — the former Asian Games and Asian Championship gold medalist — ran into the devilish duo of Terence Crawford and Vergil Ortiz Jr. in back-to-back fights, losing both, narrowly, on the scorecards.
And to underline this nightmare, “The Dream” underwent surgery on both his left knee and left shoulder following February’s loss to Ortiz, acting as a career reset coming into what could be a big 2026.
As expected, Madrimov has been handed a relatively comfortable return against Luis David Salazar this weekend on the Muratalla vs. Cruz bill, and he’ll be expected to walk through the challenge of the Dominican as he test-runs his new body.
Advertisement
The super welterweight division is stacked with talent and exciting fights, and an eye-catching win for Madrimov will put his name right back into conversations for more big fights.
4. LA Friday Night Fights and everyone’s favorite Armenian Azat Hovhannisyan
Big love to David Avanesyan here, but if someone was to ask me to name an Armenian boxer, then my brain would probably go toward Azat Hovhannisyan.
Unfortunately for Azat — who’s now 37 years old and 27 fights into his pro career — I am not asked this question as often as I would like, but on Friday night he has the opportunity to remind everyone of his existence in the super featherweight division.
Advertisement
Hovhannisyan’s big push for gold in the 130-pound class came in 2018 where he lost a crack at the WBC title to Rey Vargas. He rallied to a 7-0 streak after that defeat, but has since lost three on the bounce to Luis Nery, David Picasso and Sebastian Hernandez.
And things don’t look to be getting easier for him on Friday night.
Unbeaten. Southpaw. Kazak. 24-year-old — these are four things Hovhannisyan would be best avoiding if he is to get back into the winners columns, but thems the breaks, and the B-side called.
Aidos Medet is the man in the opposite corner of the LA Friday Night Fights card in Long Beach, and a loss for our favorite Armenian could well spell adios to a career at the hands of an Aidos.
Advertisement
5. Will anything become clearer as scrutiny builds around iVB?
iVB (I Visit Boxing), led by Ed Pereira, have been doing the media rounds this week, in an attempt to put some meat on the bones of their 2026 ideas.
Nobody asked for it, but they plan to break the world record attendance of a boxing event this summer in San Francisco, putting 140,000+ bums on seats for a fight involving — wait for it — TBD vs. TBD.
Now, TBD is experienced as they come (just ask BoxRec) but the old saying “you should walk before you run: springs to mind as the scrutiny begins to build around boxing’s latest business mogul. Let alone walk — why not try to sit up, dribble or even pee yourself first?!
Advertisement
Without fighters, investors, rights deals (anyone can upload content onto YouTube and charge for it, just ask my record-breaking egg-eating neighbor, Charlie) and a promoter to steer the ship, it’s impossible to begin to take iVB remotely seriously.
New blood is always welcome in the sport, but there is a fine line between a grifter and a serious player. There’s a saying within my friendship circle that goes “you can’t just say things” — but in boxing, it appears you can.
Read the full article here
