Abraham Montoya Says Andy Cruz Beat Raymond Muratalla

Montoya says the Olympic gold medalist deserved the decision and expects to face an elite lightweight on Saturday

Abraham Montoya believes Andy Cruz should still be unbeaten in the professional ranks after scoring his fight against Raymond Muratalla in the Cuban’s favor. Montoya says that verdict changes nothing about the challenge awaiting him this Saturday.

Cruz (6-1, 3 KOs) suffered the first loss of his professional career when he dropped a close decision to Muratalla in June. The outcome cost him an IBF lightweight title opportunity and prompted discussion about a possible move down to the 130-pound division. Montoya, however, views Cruz as the fighter who should have had his hand raised.

“I saw that last fight between Andy and Muratalla, and I do believe that he won that fight,” Montoya said during Thursday’s final press conference. “So being able to face him is a blessing. As soon as my team got the call, we immediately accepted. We said yes.”

Montoya isn’t alone in that opinion. Veteran trainer Bozy Ennis, who has overseen Cruz’s preparation, also felt his fighter deserved the verdict despite the official scores.

“I thought he edged it,” Bozy Ennis said to Fighthype in a recent interview. “It was a close fight, but I thought he won the fight.”

The differing opinions surrounding the Muratalla bout have done little to diminish Cruz’s reputation. Widely regarded as one of the most technically gifted fighters in the division, the Olympic gold medalist now has an opportunity to put the controversy behind him with an impressive performance against Montoya. A convincing victory would shift the attention back to Cruz’s future in the title picture rather than the debate over whether his lone defeat should have been recorded in the first place.

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