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Add FightsATW on GoogleIBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratalla is aiming to make 2026 his best year as a pro. His second fight of the year takes place on August 1 at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, NV, live on DAZN and TNT Sports. Muratalla will defend his IBF title against the rugged veteran Robson Conceicao (21-3-1, 10 KOs) in the co-main to the WBC lightweight title fight between Lamont Roach Jr. and William Zepeda.
The 29-year-old Muratalla (24-0, 17 KOs) from West Covina, CA, began the year as the interim IBF champion before facing decorated amateur Andy Cruz on January 24. That night, the most complete version of Muratalla was on full display, leading to a majority decision victory and the full IBF lightweight title. Becoming a world champion affects fighters differently. For some, the world around them changes; for others, things remain the same. How was it for Muratalla after the biggest win of his career so far?
“I would say pretty much the same,” Muratalla told FightsATW. “I took a little two weeks off and then got back to work. There are still a lot of stuff that I feel I like I need to keep working on. So yeah, back in the gym, learning and learning and getting ready for that next fight.”
That win over Cruz gave Muratalla valuable experience he will likely take with him moving forward. Regarding what he learned that night, Muratalla kept those lessons close to the chest, but he knows what he learned will help him in the future.
“It’s kind of hard to say,” Muratalla said about lessons learned from the Cruz fight. “I kind of knew myself going into that fight. I just have it in me. Going into fights, I’m just going to get better and better. I will be able to show more and more of my skills.”
After the win in January, things quieted as his trainer and manager, Robert Garcia, searched for Muratalla’s next opponent. Would it be a unification? A move up to junior welterweight? A voluntary defense? All were likely discussed, but as Muratalla pointed out, an offer went out to a handful of opponents, and Conceicao was the only one to accept.
“He (Conceicao) was the only one who agreed to fight me. There were like five people, and we were waiting for one of them to agree. To me, it didn’t matter. We want these big fights, and that was what I was hoping for. To me, it doesn’t matter who the opponent will be. I’m going to be ready, locked in and focused.”
The lightweight division is filled with champions like Gervonta Davis (WBA), Abdullah Mason (WBO), and Jadier Herrera (interim WBC). From the outside, looking in and scanning social media, Muratalla has been overlooked and isn’t in the conversations at 135, but he should be. According to Muratalla, although people from the outside are overlooking him, the fighters at 135 aren’t. “I think the guys in my division know,” he said. “They know what type of threat I am and they see that.”
On Saturday, August 1, live on TNT Sports and DAZN, Muratalla has a big opportunity to score a victory over another high-quality opponent and potentially set himself up for the winner between Roach and Zepeda, which would be a strong unification bout later this year. So what should fans expect from Muratalla on August 1? “For the fans, it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be one of those fights that you can learn from.”
Muratalla wants to ensure that fans and fighters alike put some respect on his name as one of the top champions at 135. A good way to do that is to beat Conceicao on August 1 in a more dominant fashion than O’Shaquie Foster, Shakur Stevenson and Oscar Valdez did in years past. We are less than 2 months away from finding out if he can.
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