Artur Subkhankulov vs Andy Cruz set for vacant IBF lightweight title on November 27 in Ufa

Artur Subkhankulov will face Andy Cruz for the vacant IBF lightweight title on Friday, November 27, in Ufa, Russia, Ring Magazine announced on Monday, November 2. According to the Bashkortostan Ministry of Sport, as reported by MK Ufa and GTRK Bashkortostan, the fight will take place at the Palace of Wrestling (Dvorets Borby) in Ufa, with the bout scheduled for 18:30 local time (16:30 MSK).

Russian outlets describe it as the first IBF world title fight ever staged in Bashkortostan. Subkhankulov's coach, Maria Karabanova, told Bashinform and AllBoxing that a world title fight of this level had not been held in Russia for around ten years.

Why the title is vacant

The belt became vacant when Raymond Muratalla gave up the IBF lightweight title to move up to 140 lbs. According to Bashinform, Muratalla had been ordered to face Subkhankulov as his mandatory challenger before he vacated. The IBF then ordered Subkhankulov vs Cruz for the vacant title, with a negotiation deadline of October 7.

The talks were difficult. In mid-October, Karabanova said Cruz's team did not want to come to Russia and had made a counteroffer to host the fight on their side, and a purse bid was scheduled for October 20. Bashinform now reports that the sides reached an agreement before the purse bid and that the offer to hold the fight in Ufa suited everyone involved. Karabanova is also general director of the Bashkortostan Boxing Federation, whose president Andrey Nazarov pushed to bring the fight to Ufa.

The fighters

• Artur Subkhankulov (12-0, 6 KOs), 34, from Ufa, earned his mandatory position by stopping Tajikistan's Bakhodur Usmonov in the 12th round in Ufa on April 24. Russian outlets including Match TV list him at No. 2 in the IBF lightweight rankings, with the No. 1 spot vacant.
• Andy Cruz (7-1, 4 KOs), the Cuban Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and three-time amateur world champion, is listed at No. 3. He lost a majority decision to Muratalla for the IBF title on January 24, then stopped late replacement Abraham Montoya in three rounds after Albert Bell withdrew from their planned IBF eliminator. All of his professional fights so far have taken place in the United States, according to Bashinform. The Ring ranks Cruz No. 5 at lightweight.

The two have met before. In 2019, Cruz beat Subkhankulov by split decision in the semifinals of the Grand Prix tournament in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic.

What they said

"I'm training as usual, everything is excellent," Subkhankulov told Bashinform. "We invite all fans of boxing and combat sports to support me and the strongest boxers of Bashkortostan."

Still to be confirmed

A broadcaster and the rest of the card had not been announced in the sources reviewed. Karabanova had earlier said the November 27 date was planned as a full boxing evening in Ufa.