Negotiations have begun for a fight between IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla and Floyd Schofield Jr. for November on DAZN.
The recently elevated IBF champion Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) has chosen not to defend against his mandatory, Andy Cruz, after their talks reportedly stalled for a fight that had been in the works for November 22nd in Riyadh.
Muratalla vs. Schofield Negotiations
Schofield (19-0, 13 KOs) is ranked #3 IBF and is coming off a first-round knockout win over Tevin Farmer on June 28th, 2025. That victory erased much of the criticism that Schofield had received for pulling out of his title fight against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson that was scheduled for February 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Schofield claimed he’d been poisoned, and many fans suspected he’d gotten cold feet. Knocking out Tevin Farmer, 35, helped rebuild his credibility.
Manouk Akopyan revealed that Muratalla and Schofield are in negotiations for a fight in November on DAZN.
It’ll be a good fight if it gets made and there are no negotiations that delay or cancel it. Muratalla was recently elevated from IBF interim 135-lb champion to full champion on June 9, 2025, after the previous champ, Vasily Lomachenko, retired.
Muratalla won the IBF interim lightweight title on May 10, defeating Zaur Abdullaev by a 12-round unanimous decision in San Diego, California. The scores were 119-109, 119-109, and 118-110.
A Collision of Young Punchers
Muratalla and Schofield are both big punchers. They’ve both had shaky performances recently. Muratalla struggled to defeat Farmer by a competitive 10-round unanimous decision last year on July 13, 2024. Schofield had problems in his fight against Rene Tellez Giron last year on November 2, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Although Schofield won by a 12-round unanimous decision, he was dropped in the 11th round by Giron. The scores were 118-109, 116-111, and 118-109. What the fight showed is that Schofield has problems against opponents who can withstand his power and hit him back. Muratalla will be dangerous for Schofield if he can’t score a fast knockout like he did against Farmer.