WITH a decision yet to be made regarding IBF lightweight world champion Vasyl Lomachenko and his potential retirement, Zaur Abdullaev and Raymond Muratalla will meet on Saturday night to second-guess whether the victor will be crowned his successor.
‘Loma’ last fought 12 months ago in a stoppage win over George Kambosos Jr. Ever since, the Ukrainian has been flirting with the idea of retirement. Admittedly lacking motivation, he is keen to spend more time with his family after a taxing amateur and professional career.
As a result, when Abdullaev-Muratalla was ordered by the IBF, many presumed that the bout would be for the vacant IBF strap. Instead, Saturday’s clash will be for the IBF interim title, with no official decision made by Lomachenko as of yet.
Abdullaev, 20-1 (12 KOs), will enter the contest as the underdog, with his lone outing in the United States marking the blemish on his record. That came via a fourth-round stoppage defeat to Devin Haney.
Since then, the Russian has returned to his home country and noticeably improved, knocking out three-weight world champion Jorge Linares and hardened Mexican Jovanni Straffon during an eight-fight winning streak on home soil.
Abdullaev would then travel to Argentina for an IBF eliminator against Juan Javier Carrasco and secure his position as the world #2 by halting Carrasco in the 12th and final round. The home fighter’s corner threw in the towel due to eye damage.
Meanwhile, Raymond Muratalla, 22-0 (17 KOs), has a growing reputation as an elite 135-pound fighter and a world champion-in-waiting, with power and speed on show during numerous standout wins.
In 2023, Muratalla ran through Jeremia Nakathila in just two rounds of what was deemed to be a 50/50 fight beforehand to announce himself as a world title contender. He has since maintained his undefeated record while manoeuvring into position for a shot at world honours.
Last year, Muratalla outpointed Tevin Farmer in a win that has aged well. It was a close-fought encounter with the former super-featherweight world champion. Muratalla did enough in the eyes of the judges to claim a unanimous decision victory, before knocking out Jesus Perez inside two rounds in November.
Still, ‘Danger’ has a tendency to blow hot and cold, but he should need no motivation to turn up this weekend as he attempts to edge closer to world champion status. Abdullaev is a man who cannot afford to be overlooked.
Zaur Abdullaev vs. Raymond Muratalla Fight Prediction
In a competitive fight, BN Online predicts that the speed advantages of Muratalla will help him come out on top but that he will be pushed to the limit by the tough Russian over the course of a unanimous decision win.
