Andy Cruz has been cleared to join Matchroom following a court ruling

from Graham Ilford: The 2020 Olympic gold medalist is now free to continue his career under promoter Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing after a US federal judge in the Northern District of California ruled that the promotional agreement between the undefeated Cruz and New Champion Promotions (NCP) was invalid.

Hearn's lightweight gold

Carlos Linares broke the news today to his Understitch site on the case of the undefeated Andy Cruz. This is perfect for the Cuban talent as it now allows Matchroom to promote him to the limit. He is pure 24k gold and could be the best fighter in the lightweight division. 135-9 as an amateur in Cuba, Andy defeated American Keyshawn Davis four times, including in the 2020 Olympic finals.

No Keyshon, no Shakur

Naming it “My son,” Cruz tried to lure Keyshon to fight him in 2024 and 2025 to no avail. He had the same problem with Shakur Stevenson.

Although Hearn spent a lot of time promoting Shakur Stevenson when he was with Matchroom, he may have overlooked the gold in his stable, Andy Cruz. The two-year pro has been held back so far and is ready for the spring.

Cruz has been the invisible man since coming out of the Olympics, as none of the top lightweights have shown interest in fighting him. He finally forced the issue by defeating Hironori Mishiro by fifth-round knockout in an eliminator for the IBF lightweight title on 14 June 2025.

From the courtroom to the title

This means Matchroom will promote the Cuban talent and take him to his first world title fight in two months against IBF lightweight champion Raymond Muratala (23-0, 17 KOs) on January 24, 2026 at Fontainebleau in Las Vegas, Nevada. Matchroom has yet to confirm the date.

Last month, on October 23, 2025, Matchroom won the bidding for the Muratalla-Cruz fight with a winning bid of $888,888 to Top Rank's $550,000. This means Hearn's company, Matchroom, will be in charge of the event, where and when it will take place. As already reported, January 24 in Fontainebleau is the venue.

Veteran boxing journalist Graham Ilford brings dry humor and long-earned perspective to the sport.