On May 10 (Japan time May 11), at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, Top Rank’s co-main event featured a 12-round bout for the IBF Interim World Lightweight Title. The fight pitted IBF No.2 Zaur Abdullaev (Russia, 20 wins [12 KOs], 1 loss) against IBF No.4 Raymond Muratalla (USA, 22 wins [17 KOs], undefeated), with Muratalla winning by unanimous decision.
In Round 1, Muratalla opened with fast jabs, while Abdullaev kept a high guard and studied his opponent’s movement. In Round 2, Muratalla landed a left hook followed by a left uppercut, and a sudden right straight caught Abdullaev clean. In Round 3, Muratalla continued with jabs and right straights. Abdullaev tried a right counter but threw few punches overall.
In Round 4, Muratalla landed a one-two followed by a left to the body. Against Abdullaev’s peek-a-boo guard, Muratalla continued to score with quick combinations. In Round 5, Abdullaev tried to press with repeated one-twos, but Muratalla smoothly evaded and countered with jabs and right hands. Round 6 saw Abdullaev increasing his output, but Muratalla answered with body shots, jabs, and straight rights.
In Round 7, as Abdullaev tried to close the distance with extended jabs, Muratalla looked to counter with the right. In Round 8, despite being behind on points, Abdullaev remained hesitant to throw. Muratalla fought cautiously too, but landed a one-two and a left uppercut.
Round 9 saw Abdullaev inching forward as his corner urged him to press, but Muratalla’s footwork and sharp jabs kept him at bay. In Round 10, Abdullaev, usually strong in the late rounds, failed to mount his trademark flurries. Muratalla controlled the distance and aimed uppercuts in close.
In Round 11, Abdullaev advanced with jabs and one-twos, but Muratalla slipped them and landed a right uppercut inside. In the final round, Muratalla used jabs to disrupt Abdullaev’s attempts to come forward, moved freely with stance switches, and touched with straights and uppercuts. Abdullaev was unable to show his usual form and heard the final bell without making an impact.
The official scorecards read 119–109, 119–109, and 118–110. Muratalla showcased superior speed and technique, dominating the fight from start to finish. He earned a flawless victory and is now poised to contend among the elite in the lightweight division.
In a 10-round super featherweight bout, WBC No.9 and WBO No.11 Andres Cortes (USA, 22 wins [12 KOs]) faced Salvador Jimenez (Spain, 14 wins [6 KOs], 1 loss, 1 draw). Cortes won by unanimous decision with scores of 100–90, 100–90, and 99–91.
Andres Cortes returned to the ring after approximately 11 months. His opponent, Salvador Jimenez, was coming off his first career loss in a 12-round decision against WBC International champion on March 1 (March 2 Japan time) in the UK, making this his comeback fight.
At the outset, Cortes applied steady pressure with jabs, left hooks, and right straights. Jimenez kept a tight guard, throwing few punches while waiting for counter opportunities.
From Round 4 onward, Cortes increased his offensive output, mixing jabs and left hooks to the head and body, followed by right straights. However, whenever Jimenez responded, Cortes backed off and his punch volume dropped, leading to a lackluster pace. By Round 8, boos were heard from the crowd. Although Cortes picked up the pace, he couldn’t break through Jimenez’s tight defense, and the fight ended without much excitement.
In a 10-round welterweight bout, WBC and WBO No.13 ranked Giovanni Santillan (USA, 33 wins [18 KOs], 1 loss) faced Angel Beltran (Mexico, 18 wins [11 KOs], 2 losses). Santillan won by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring it 97–93.
In an 8-round super bantamweight fight, Sebastian Hernandez Reyes (Mexico), undefeated in 19 fights (18 KOs), riding a 17-fight KO streak, and ranked No.10 WBC, No.11 WBO, and No.14 IBF, faced former world contender Azat Hovhannisyan (Armenia, 21 wins [17 KOs], 5 losses). Reyes won by unanimous decision. The scores were 98–91 from all three judges. (Note: Hovhannisyan was deducted one point in Round 9 for holding.)
Though Reyes failed to extend his KO streak to 18, going the full distance against a seasoned fighter like Hovhannisyan—who had previously faced top-tier opponents like Luis Nery and Alan Picasso—will serve as a valuable experience for the 24-year-old.
All eyes are on whether Muratalla can prove himself the best with his speed and technique.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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