Andy Cruz and Artur Subkhankulov set for vacant title fight on November 27

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The IBA announced today that lightweight contenders Andy Cruz and Artur Subkhankulov, whom the IBF tabbed to square off for the vacant belt left behind by Raymond Muratalla, will headline a November 27th IBA.PRO show in Ufa, Russia. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Cruz (7-1, 4 KO) bounced back from January’s majority decision loss to Raymond Muratalla by torching Abraham Montoya in three rounds. Now a free agent, he’ll be the B-side in hostile territory. Subkhankulov (12-0, 6 KO) lost a split decision to Cruz in a 2019 amateur bout and has largely flown under the radar as a professional, but boasts wins over some capable figures on the Eurasian circuit, most notably the highly ranked Bakhodir Usmonov in April. As I said before: though he’s already 34 after more than a decade as an amateur and lacking marquee wins, he’s nowhere near the sort of designated victim the IBF have allowed into their upper ranks before. He’s a good fighter and should give us a clear picture of how Cruz has adapted since his first pro defeat. These shows tend to air on the IBA’s YouTube page, so keep your eyes peeled.

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Andy Cruz will hit the road to fight undefeated Artur Subkhankulov with hardware on the line