Watch the full fight between rising lightweight star Raymond Muratalla and tough contender Zaur Abdullaev in this action-packed bout! This high-stakes showdown delivered explosive punches, slick boxing skills, and non-stop drama.
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00:00Murataya Abdullaya. There's your first bell. Bernardo Osuna alongside the
00:05International Boxing Hall of Famer Timothy Bradley. Mark Kregel roving
00:09reporter for the evening tonight. You see Murataya trying to get off to a quick
00:14start going to the body. Just trying to use some angles right here. You see
00:17Murataya. That foot movement that you saw was just angles. Didn't do anything off
00:23those angles. However, Abdullaya strong, physically strong. You can tell. Look how
00:28big his back is. He likes to come forward. Comes behind a high tight guard. Likes to
00:35stab down low and sneak over the top of right hands. Look, Abdullaya is heavy on
00:43the jab. Lands 8 of 30.9 per round which is 2.4 more than Murataya. And Tevin's
00:4810.7 more thrown than his opponent. So that's his weapon of choice for Murataya.
00:54It's power and accuracy. It's power, accuracy, counter punching ability. But that jab, what
01:01that jab does, it's going to disrupt the rhythm. If he can stay constant with it. Abdullaya,
01:05if he can stay constant with it, it's going to disrupt the rhythm. And counter punchers,
01:09that's what they hate. They hate guys that are accurate with their jab. So we'll see how effective
01:14Abdullaya jab is going to be this first round. I'm going to take my time, feel him out, and
01:22then start trying to wear him down. Abdullaya had an extensive amateur pedigree as well. You know,
01:31although his style is pretty simple, it's extremely effective. You know, he starts to slow and slowly
01:38apply more and more pressure as the rounds continue. And he seems to get stronger as the
01:44rounds go. Something rare, Tim. Abdullaya has two 12-round stoppages. And that goes to show you that
01:52this man prepares. He's got the wind and the power to carry late, which is so difficult to do in this
01:59sport. Again, as you see him fainting. Body faints, foot faints. Good counter for a tie-off
02:10with the Abdullaya jab. Bit of a chess match right now. Tactical battle by both men. Neither
02:21guy looking to make a mistake. Both guys fainting. Trying to get the other one to commit.
02:26He's trying to counter the strength of the other here in the first two and a half minutes of this
02:36fight. Well, right now, Abdullaya, that stab jab is working for him downstairs. How do you beat a jab?
02:45You go over the top. Over the top, the right hand. That's how you beat it. Or you step out of range,
02:48make it fall short, and lift him up with the uppercut. Listen for that bell, gentlemen. First round of
02:5612 for the lightweight championship. Here is top-ranked boxing on ESPN.
03:06Good run to study him, all right? That was a good run to study him. How you feeling? Good. How do you feel him?
03:12Thanks, Jake. All right, then. Keep that smart. Keep that smart. Keep that pants. He's trying to paint that jab to the body
03:18because he wants to get you with that hook upstairs, all right? So just keep his hand right here. Boom, boom.
03:22Right here, all right? Smart. Keep that. Keep throwing around him, all right? All day. Get some water.
03:26All day, bro.
03:28I look at him, bro.
03:32Okay?
03:34Defense.
03:36That's .
03:38How do you feel?
03:39Good.
03:40Then, when you're set, then that's when you go, all right, with the power.
03:42All right.
03:43Okay? Don't throw it from far, okay?
03:44Put your hands up, too.
03:45Keep your hands up all the time, all right?
03:47Hands up high all the time.
03:48Smart, all right?
03:49Keep that simple.
03:50All right?
03:51Keep winning those rounds, all right?
03:52All right, keep winning those rounds, all right?
03:56Freeze. Let's go.
04:07His fight is for the interim IBF Lightweight title.
04:10We talked about none of the champions calling out the name of Raymond Murataya.
04:14This is a man that, as an amateur, had three wins over Ryan Garcia.
04:18And in his Fontana backyard where his father set up a ring,
04:22they hosted the likes of Ryan Garcia, Mark Castro, Carlos Balderas, the Olympian.
04:26So he came up fighting in the backyard against elite fighters.
04:31And this is what you get from those backyard brawls.
04:34That beautiful left uppercut from Murataya who starts to open up here in round two.
04:38You got a training facility at your house, a boxing with the ring in the back?
04:42I mean, come on now. That's next level.
04:44People from in his neighborhood and other neighborhoods would come to spar.
04:50And, you know, you see that technique in or a technique in the skill.
04:58That stab jab from Abdullah F.
05:00And Robert Garcia was talking to him about how that opens up other opportunities.
05:04Yeah, he's looking for, he's told him he was looking for the left hook, Abdelayev.
05:08That's the reason why he was committing with that stab jab.
05:10He's looking to sneak him over the top.
05:12That was a nice little shot down there to the, to the flank of Murataya by Abdelayev.
05:18It was off of two jabs, too.
05:20Yeah. He's starting to get a little bit more busy with his jab.
05:22But what I did like about what Murataya was doing is he threw a combination, occupied him upstairs,
05:28and then he slipped the uppercut right underneath that guard.
05:32Oh, nice right hand for Murataya.
05:34Nice set up.
05:36They call him danger for a reason.
05:40Anytime you are in that ring with Raymond Murataya, they say he's a killer in the gym.
05:46And he's proven to be that inside the ring under the big lights.
05:50So, earlier in the show, you said if Murataya, how do you know he's on?
05:54He's on.
05:55I'm like, you know, he's on.
05:57His reactions, how quick he's reacting, the punching power, the speed, the accuracy.
06:04He's on the knife.
06:07Nice feint right there.
06:08Subtle feints.
06:09Keep him guessing.
06:10Ooh, nice left hook there.
06:11Yes.
06:12From Murataya.
06:13He's quick to strike on the counter.
06:15And then you see the movement afterwards.
06:17He makes Abdelayev pick up his feet.
06:19But you see how Abdelayev is trying to get after him right away to try to get some good back.
06:24He's neutralized the jab of Abdelayev so far.
06:27Only 11 of 27 through the first two rounds.
06:32See the angle shift?
06:34Slight little angle changes right there.
06:35Make your opposition pick up his feet.
06:37While he's picking up his feet, you can counter him as he's readjusting.
06:42That's what you're seeing from Murataya.
06:44Subtle movements left and right.
06:47Abdelayev is coming straight down the middle.
06:49Stab jab from Abdelayev.
06:50Trying to go to his bread and butter.
06:51He's going to need to do more than just stab jab.
06:52This is what I felt, guys.
06:53Oh, in this commercial break we're going to show some of the best punches as it ended
07:07a little early in the two box.
07:08All right.
07:09San Diego, if you're not ready, just call on the line.
07:11Yeah, after you throw, he's trying to go right.
07:12So just keep your hand up or go under.
07:13And when you step back, step back with your hand up.
07:14Okay?
07:15Both hands up.
07:16Don't stand up like this, all right?
07:17Go like this, all right?
07:18Super hard.
07:19No cover with your fight ticket.
07:20So bring it along and come through.
07:21We've got drink specials, five for DJs, and a crowd that's just as lit as the main event.
07:26Don't tap out early.
07:27The party continues at Whiskey Grill and Double Deuce exclusively.
07:30Left to the body, all right?
07:31Now, left to the body.
07:32Just make sure it's at the right time.
07:33Not from far, okay?
07:34No, no, no, no.
07:35No, no, no, no.
07:36No, no, no, no.
07:37No, no, no, no.
07:38No, no, no, no, no.
07:39No, no, no, no, no.
07:40No, no, no, no, no.
07:41No, no, no, no, no.
07:42No, no, no, no, no.
07:44Left to the body, all right?
07:45Now, left to the body.
07:46Just make sure it's at the right time.
07:48Not from far, okay?
07:49You got it, bro.
07:50All right?
07:51This is about you, all right?
07:52Keep having fun.
07:53Let's have fun.
07:54Have fun, all right?
07:55Put that right hand up.
07:56Don't drop that right.
07:57Be careful when you do that right and get by the counter.
07:59Go under it.
08:00Look it out!
08:04Smart, all right?
08:06Let's have fun.
08:07Let's have fun.
08:12In the corner of Zawar Abdelayah, they're saying he's looking to counter.
08:16Don't give him the space to counter because, Tim, when you let Muratai...
08:20It's a nice combination right here.
08:22Touch the top.
08:24Split the guards.
08:26You know, that high guard can get you in so much trouble.
08:29And again, nice blinding lead jab followed by the right hand,
08:34splitting that guard once again.
08:36Muratai in the southpaw stance.
08:38He going in his bag tonight.
08:40He's going in his bag.
08:41This is for the belt.
08:42Yeah, absolutely.
08:43It sure is.
08:44Watch the peak, gentlemen.
08:46You know who Muratai's favorite fighter is?
08:49Mr. Andre.
08:51And Andre.
08:52And Dre can fight for that southpaw stance as well.
08:57Muratai right now going in his bag, deep in his bag,
09:01pulling out all the tricks.
09:03Nice body shot.
09:04And then up top from Muratai, switching the cadence up.
09:07And now he's back to his orthodox stance.
09:09I would love to see Muratai get a little bit more on his jab.
09:12He needs to get a little bit more active with that lead hand.
09:15And I would love to see Abdelayah just get a little bit more busier with his words.
09:21Throw some more offense out there.
09:23Maybe a one-two.
09:24One-two-three.
09:25The thing is, every time he's let the hands go, Muratai has had an answer.
09:31See, when you have a guy that's sitting there that's smarter than you, right?
09:35Because I think that Muratai is more skillful.
09:37And I think from the looks of things, he's a lot more smarter.
09:40You know, you can't give him time to think.
09:42You got to get on top of him.
09:44You know, you got to put some pressure on him.
09:46You got to force him to make mistakes.
09:48I know it's still early right now, however.
09:51Those first couple of rounds did him Muratai's favor.
09:55Just the speed, the power, and the accuracy.
09:58He's winning these early rounds.
10:01Neither guy very active.
10:03Muratai throws 47 punches around.
10:05Abdelayah 46, that's well below the 57 punches thrown average
10:10for the 135-pound weight class.
10:13So, Abdelayah especially is going to have to go out of his comfort zone
10:18because the jab's not working tonight, Tim.
10:20No, the jab is not working.
10:21He's making, Muratai's making it fall short.
10:28However, when you're down three rounds.
10:30Exactly, and he's taking that jab away, too.
10:33But with that right hand.
10:37But when you're down two rounds, it's like it's time to, hey, change the strategy.
10:41Ooh, nice work from Abdelayah right there.
10:44Great counter, sharp.
10:46Sharp counters.
10:47Best punch of the fight so far for a medium-based Russian.
10:56Nice uppercut right there.
11:00Just splitting the guard again with the uppercut.
11:02Listen for that belt, gentlemen.
11:04Three rounds.
11:05Abdelayah needs to get going here against Muratai, and he does just at the belt.
11:09Thank you, sir.
11:11Keep doing that, all right?
11:12Yeah.
11:13You're winning every round.
11:14Keep doing that.
11:15Keep that rhythm going, all right?
11:17Side to side, little steps.
11:18Take your punches right.
11:19Boom, boom, boom.
11:20And fucking dig in with a hard body shot, all right?
11:21You got to.
11:22You got to.
11:23You got to.
11:24You got to.
11:25You got to.
11:26You got to.
11:27You got to.
11:28You got to.
11:29You got to.
11:30You got to.
11:31You got to.
11:32You got to.
11:33You got to.
11:34You got to.
11:35You got to.
11:36That body shot.
11:37Don't, don't look for it when you're far.
11:38Until you touch them, touch them, then dig into the body, all right?
11:39Yep.
11:40Don't.
11:41Don't.
11:42Don't.
11:43Don't.
11:44Don't.
11:45Don't.
11:46Don't.
11:47Don't.
11:48Don't buy a little more, okay?
11:49Got to show?
11:50A lot.
11:51A lot of things.
11:52A lot of things.
11:53Yeah, by coke.
11:54That's fine.
11:55One more round, a little, two little.
11:57That's fine.
11:58Yeah.
11:59Yeah.
12:00No problem.
12:01Just be careful with the right hand.
12:02Touch them, touch them, boom.
12:03And then walk that.
12:04Move your head, all right?
12:05Because he's.
12:06All right, let's go.
12:08Ready for round four of the scheduled 12 round fight for the interim IBF Lightweight World
12:23title.
12:24Great start for Raymond Murataya.
12:25But Zaur Abdullaya showed signs of life, Tim, there at the end of round four.
12:30Yes, he did.
12:32Finally let some offense go.
12:34That right hand has been working for Abdullaya.
12:39But check out this.
12:40This move right here.
12:42Dangerous move.
12:43Not gonna lie.
12:44You're not supposed to drop your hands from your face.
12:45But it's nice little parry counter right there.
12:48Right hand from Murataya.
12:50See, that's not, that's, I'm just letting y'all know, that's not textbook.
12:54He, he got away with it.
12:55However, if I'm Abdullaya, if I see that, now I'm gonna fake like I'm gonna go downstairs
13:00with this jab and I'm gonna come up with the left hook because he's gonna bring that
13:03hand down the block.
13:04That was a nice stab jab from Abdullaya now.
13:07But it was pretty.
13:08If he can get that jab going, it could change the fight.
13:12Absolutely.
13:13And then Murataya will have to make the adjustments.
13:16Nice body shot.
13:17Murataya hitting hard.
13:18Yeah.
13:19You can hear them shots.
13:20He's hitting hard.
13:21Off the elbows, off the arms.
13:24And Abdullaya, he's being selective with his punches because he's not trying to open himself
13:28up to be knocked out.
13:32You see the quick hands of Murataya.
13:34And now Abdullaya has to think before he closes that gap.
13:37And there's a nice right.
13:38And Murataya now is putting two together, three shots together.
13:42Not just singles.
13:43Count it.
13:46Which can be dangerous for Abdullaya.
13:54Nice shot to the body again.
13:56It's a set up shot for Abdullaya.
14:04That same right hand that landed at the end of the last round.
14:11You saw right there.
14:12Murataya avoiding it.
14:14Just stepping a little bit out of range.
14:17A stiff shot to the head from Abdullaya who takes a body shot from Murataya with the left
14:24hook downstairs.
14:25I like the variation from Murataya.
14:26It's kind of confusing.
14:28Abdullaya going to the head with two shots and then whipping that left hook to the outside,
14:33to the ribcage.
14:34I think that's been the biggest difference in the fight.
14:38The cadence of Abdullaya is the same from round one to now.
14:42And Murataya has been able to mix it up.
14:44Yeah, it's been the same thing from Abdullaya.
14:47He hasn't done anything different.
14:50That's the problem.
14:51And when you have someone as smart as Murataya, it's easy to figure out.
14:56And that's why you're starting to see him start to rev up the offense moving forward.
15:03Slight faints for Murataya here in round number four.
15:06There's that one-two from Murataya.
15:08Misses on that one.
15:09A bunch of volume and accuracy.
15:14The difference so far in favor of the California.
15:21It's got to be a little bit louder.
15:22A little bit louder.
15:23On the 10th second.
15:24How are you feeling?
15:25Good.
15:26Condition-wise?
15:27Good.
15:28How about his power?
15:29No?
15:30All right.
15:31Still keep finding smart.
15:32That was the fourth round.
15:33We got many rounds, but keep picking them apart.
15:34Little by little.
15:35You're breaking them down.
15:36Stepping a little bit closer with a double jab.
15:38You're good?
15:39He's got to close the gap.
15:40All he has is the counter right hand.
15:41That's all he's looking for.
15:42Understand?
15:43He's saying?
15:44He's saying?
15:45He's saying he's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:46All he has is the counter right hand.
15:47That's all he's looking for.
15:48Understand?
15:49He's saying?
15:50He's saying he's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:52He's saying he's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:54He's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:55He's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:56He's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:57He's trying to shoot his right hand.
15:58That's all he's looking for.
15:59Understand?
16:00You can't do this number starting, but everything's good.
16:01Beth же knows.
16:02Not knowing he is a LikeZart.
16:03That's this number somewhat.
16:04Really?
16:05Oh, wow.
16:06Be fair.
16:07FT still yelling
16:08Look at STEPP up our punch of the night.
16:09Brought to you by Miller Lite.
16:10brought to you by Miller Lite. It was in our first undercard fight and it was
16:15Sebastián Hernández behind that jab putting punches together against Azat
16:20Hovannisyan, the former world title challenger, on his way to a 10-round
16:24unanimous decision victory. All right, Mark Kriegel, we are into round five
16:30through four completed here. What does your unofficial scorecard look like?
16:3440-36, Raymond Murataya, four rounds to nothing. First round was debatable
16:40the next three. We're not going into the fight. He told me he can't match my
16:45speed. Advilayev can. And there's nothing that I've seen so far to disprove that.
16:50One note of caution though, Abdullayev does have a habit of really
16:55staging some wonderful rallies. Yes, he closes very strong and he's got two 12
17:00round knockouts. So you can never count out Zaur Abdullayev but look Murataya
17:05right now is connecting his power shots at a 42% clip compared to 28%
17:10for Abdullayev. And that's dangerous territory, Tim. I'm just waiting on Abdullayev to open up a
17:15little bit more. If he opens up a little bit more than that, it's going to be
17:18allowed Murataya to be able to land more counter shots on against him.
17:21However, Murataya's right hand, double right from Abdullayev and he's opening up here.
17:26Hey, buzzed him. He did. Momentarily buzzed him with that right hand. He's been looking for that right hand all night.
17:33You're seeing what happened. What's going on is Murataya sitting on that rear leg, you know. And when you're sitting on that rear leg, there's no movement you can do other than drop down. And he's not dropping down further enough to get away from that right hand. He's right in the line. The line of fire for the right hand of Abdullayev.
17:54Nice counter right there by Murataya who has been dropped twice against Umberto Galindo in March of 2023. That was in the first round and also in round two against Cesar Valenzuela.
18:04And so early on, he's had trouble. He seems to have gotten past the danger zone. But Abdullayev just showed that when he lets his hands go, he will be a dangerous fighter.
18:15It was just a mistake from Murataya. That's what it was. A mistake. Again, you're jabbing from mid-range. It's going to get countered. And he timed it perfectly.
18:25And at the same time, you're going to see every now and then, let me see if Murataya gets to it. I'll try to see if he goes into that little posture where he's leaning on his back foot.
18:34And he has nowhere to go but down.
18:49Murataya got a little bit too comfortable. And Abdullayev reminded him, hey, I'm a world-class fighter too.
19:04Good job. Good job. Again, you see subtle movement. Again, back on that back foot by Murataya. There it is again.
19:17That lead hand is down as well. That right hand can sneak him right over the top.
19:21Don't get lazy trying to do something different.
19:45And don't fucking stay on the boards. Get away from it.
19:47Alright.
19:56You connect. Back to the defense.
20:02Saúl, remember you have here, here, change it up, okay?
20:05Three or four punches together, alright?
20:10How is your condition-wise?
20:12Alright then, let's go, alright?
20:14The fifth coming up.
20:17Fifth or sixth? Sixth coming up.
20:19Okay, let's go. We're going to go half-ways, alright?
20:21So let's go, okay?
20:22Keep pumping your fucking jacks, keep pumping your fucking jacks.
20:31Round six of the scheduled 12-round World Championship fight.
20:34Bernardo Osuna alongside the Hall of Famer, Timothy Bradley. Both fighters making adjustments, Tim.
20:41Check out the Philly shell. Got that lead hand in the sling right there. Didn't get that shoulder up quick enough.
20:44Boom! Gets hit with the right hand and gets hit with it again.
20:49Boom! Beautiful shot right there from Abdelayev. Way to recognize the guard change from Murataya and taking advantage of it.
20:56See if Abdelayev can get those hands going behind that jab that he's able to land right there and sets up a right to the body.
21:04Now Murataya answers.
21:07Yeah, that's the same guard that Floyd Mayweather made famous.
21:12You know, where he rolls that shoulder inside and he lifts it up to be able to block right hands and deflect right hands.
21:21That time, Murataya using it. He can use it well. I'll tell you that much.
21:26Look, I noticed all that glitter on his legs, on Murataya's legs and all over his body.
21:33Look at his trunks.
21:40Worry about it. You know, that glitter getting in the eyes.
21:42Yeah. You know what I'm saying?
21:44Gloves. Yeah, exactly.
21:45If he rubs the gloves on his trunks, look at you, Sim.
21:50That's why you're the best in the business.
21:52I appreciate you.
21:53It's those small nuances that can affect the fight.
21:56Yeah, absolutely.
21:58Right now, the nuances of Abdelayev getting a little bit more busy behind that jab.
22:02And you can see him get a little bit more busy.
22:04And you're starting to see him get a little bit more comfortable now with the speed and the power of Murataya.
22:11And he's starting to get confidence. Starting to gain more confidence.
22:14This body shot from Murataya. That's one thing we haven't seen much of in this fight.
22:18Only 13 body shots from Murataya compared to 24 for Abdelayev.
22:23For your roots, young man.
22:27Yeah. So you got what Abdelayev is doing is every now and then he's punching with Murataya or he's punching directly afterwards.
22:34Now, if I'm Murataya, what I'm doing is I'm going to have something in my back pocket.
22:38I'm going to punch. I know he's going to punch.
22:40Then I'm going to make a miss and then counter him again.
22:42So I'm going to counter the counter of Abdelayev.
22:45That's being two steps ahead of your opposition.
22:48That's the jab from out of the life after two misses and that's it.
22:58Exactly. Caught him when he was out of position.
23:00Threw a combination, didn't have the life, comes right back.
23:03You got to make that second, that counter.
23:06You got to make that miss and you got to counter.
23:09Make a miss and fill the holes.
23:12You got to go to the body with that jab.
23:25And it opens up combinations.
23:30Halfway through this fight.
23:33Give me an uppercut.
23:43Those uppercuts are hurting him.
23:45His nose is bleeding already.
23:46That means they're hurting him right.
23:48So jab, jab, and then you step in with a double jab, right hand,
23:51and then give me that left to the body or a left uppercut.
23:54Okay?
23:55When you're on the outside, look for those hooks behind the gloves.
23:58Yeah.
23:59And then the uppercuts after that.
24:00Okay?
24:01You got to give me defense right away.
24:14You throw the one-two, you got to give me defense again.
24:17Okay?
24:20You go for the body, Nero.
24:22You go for the body, Nero.
24:24Deep breath.
24:25Through the first half of the fight,
24:26we see that Murataya landing at an exact same percentage as Abdullayev,
24:31but he's landed 19 more punches.
24:34Abdullayev with the lead in body punches.
24:36What I did notice is up to round four,
24:39Abdullayev was landing actually,
24:41Murataya was landing at 42% clip with his power punches.
24:44Now he's at 34% compared to 32% for Abdullayev.
24:48That's it.
24:49Abdullayev is landing more body shots.
24:51So, look, this is the first 12-round fight of Murataya.
24:56And he can pay some good dividends on the back stretch.
24:59As you know, body shots start to wear your opposition down.
25:03Starts to siphon their gas tank, take their legs away from them,
25:06and punching power.
25:07So, we'll see.
25:08And we talked about that late power of Zohar Abdullayev
25:11with those two 12th round knockouts.
25:14Unknown territory for Raymond Murataya.
25:17Nicknamed Danger, but if it gets to that spot,
25:21he may be the one in danger against Abdullayev.
25:24Abdullayev is like a fighter that,
25:28hey, he's going to wear you down.
25:30You know, as long as he's in the fight,
25:32he's going to wear you down.
25:33You know, he can be behind in the fight.
25:35He's never going to be discouraged.
25:36He's going to be always on you.
25:38Putting that pressure on you.
25:40Coming behind that jab like he's doing.
25:42And again, he's looking for you to weaken.
25:44That's why he uses that stab jab.
25:46So, that way, later in the fight,
25:48he can take advantage of it.
25:50Mark Kriegel, what are they saying in Abdullayev's corner?
25:54Edgar Yasso says, listen,
25:56I need him to start going to the body
25:58so we can wear him down.
26:00We can take him to deep waters.
26:01That's our shot.
26:02That's exactly what Tim has been analyzing.
26:05That's somewhere that Raymond Muratai has never been.
26:09You know that he feels ready and conditioned for 12 rounds,
26:13but you don't know until you've been there.
26:15Yeah, absolutely right.
26:16I mean, you go 12 rounds probably two or three times
26:19before you actually come out here and do it,
26:21but you still, you being a fighter and never doing it for the first time,
26:24you're still kind of skeptical about it.
26:26And you want to make sure you manage the rounds well and manage your energy.
26:32But so far, he's letting Abdullayev back in the fight.
26:34Exactly.
26:35And that's my point.
26:36The last two rounds have been Abdullayev rounds.
26:38And Abdullayev is the type of fighter that gets, as the fight goes on,
26:42he starts going downhill and he starts gaining more and more confidence,
26:45and he's going to put more and more pressure and start letting his hands go.
26:48You do not want to let him get momentum going.
26:51No, you don't.
26:52Because that's where he's at his best.
26:53Absolutely.
26:54You know, this is just not a physical game.
27:03This is just not a physical sport.
27:05Just physical.
27:06It's mental as well.
27:07You know, it's your will.
27:10It gets my will.
27:12That's what it is.
27:13Now, if I can kill your will to fight, I have the advantage, right?
27:17But it's also a chess match in there.
27:20It is.
27:21I'm going to adjust.
27:22What are you going to counter to my adjustment?
27:24And how am I going to react to the adjustment that you're going to make to my counter?
27:27Absolutely.
27:29Solid shots from Murataya.
27:32Falling for Abdullayev here in round number seven.
27:36Nice right hand from Abdullayev.
27:38Maybe enough to win the round.
27:52Go.
27:53If this is a wheel of a e-cyclic.
27:54Take off.
27:55Place it in the round.
27:56Go in the round.
27:57Go go.
27:58Using the wind.
27:59I'm going to assist you in the round.
28:00Go.
28:01Come on.
28:02And I'm going to do it.
28:03Go.
28:04You're going toATION.
28:05Go toBTH.
28:06Go.
28:07Go.
28:08Go.
28:09Go.
28:10Go.
28:11Go.
28:12Go.
28:13Go.
28:14Go.
28:15Go.
28:16Go.
28:17Go.
28:18Go.
28:19This is a game of adjustments and Tim, both Murataya and Abdullaya adjusted to each other's
28:48counters there in round 7. Another excellent counter punch by Murataya with the right hand. Again, just dipping underneath, squatting, boom, coming with a counter, but again, where's the second punch at? You know, I've seen the single counters, where the second punch? And then Abdullaya right there making Murataya pay for, again, having that lead hand out at mid-range, boom, exposing that left side and boom, hitting him with that right hand.
29:15Murataya threw nine punches more than Abdullaya, who landed two more punches than Murataya in round number 7.
29:24In terms of jabs, Timmy, that was going to be a key for Abdullaya in this fight. And you see that he throws almost 31 in previous fights. Tonight he's under 20. And for Murataya, he's above his jab average of 23.2 by 2 per round.
29:45So, you beat a jabber with the jab, and you take away that best weapon. You can beat the jab, you can beat a jabber with the jab. Also, you can throw that right hand and make him stop throwing.
29:58Not only to the hand, but you can also throw the right hand down to the body. And you just saw right there, Murataya sneaking that right hand downstairs.
30:11Murataya needs to be creative again like he was earlier in this fight.
30:14Because Abdullaya is predictable but effective.
30:19Exactly. He's efficient with his work again, and he's patient. And he's been in fights where he's been down, and he knows he's down. But he's just waiting on you to, again, lose focus, get tired, and then he starts to pour it on.
30:38He's straight right from Murataya that Abdullaya beats and says, I'll have another.
30:49You also got to make, you know, take into account those guys from Dagestan, they're built different.
30:54They are. They are. I'm not going to lie. They surely are. When I fought Ruzlapavadnikov, my gosh, I was like, man, what are you eating, man?
31:01Just eating fish raw out of the sea over there? Like, he was strong. Strongest fighter I've ever been to ring with. Stronger than Manny Pacquiao. Absolutely. Punch harder than Manny Pacquiao. Yes.
31:12Different places in the former USSR, Siberia, Pakistan, but all have that different type of hunger. Genetic, man.
31:24Good uppercuts under Murataya there. Pop shots from the outside, pot shot from the outside, single shots.
31:35Nice uppercut there from Murataya at the end of round eight.
31:41Round eight.
32:12.
32:16Google.
32:17Yeah.
32:18Yeah.
32:33.
32:35.
32:36.
32:39Ready for round 9 of Raymond Murataya, Zahra Abdullaya for the interim IBF lightweight title.
32:52Mark Kregel, what does your unofficial scorecard look like through 8?
32:5778, 74, 6 rounds to 2.
33:00I do think, you know, these are where Abdullaya distinguishes himself.
33:04These late grinding rounds, he gets it to that 12.
33:07But he's got to start going to the body.
33:09Like Gasol said.
33:11And when you look at Raymond Murataya, his money shot this fight, Tim, has been the uppercut.
33:17Uppercut coming around that guard with the left hook, right hand, and then sneaking that uppercut, splitting the guard of Abdullayev.
33:25Again, the creativity.
33:26That's important in this fight.
33:28Creativity.
33:29Because, again, I like Abdullayev, high amateur pedigree.
33:33You know, he's been at the top of the amateur circuit.
33:36He's seen different styles.
33:37He's a smart fighter.
33:38You've got to be creative with your offense when you're facing a guy like that.
33:44And this is where now Murataya starts to think about being in unknown territory.
33:49The latest knockout he's ever had in his pro career was a ninth-round stoppage against Humberto Galindo, March of 2023.
33:56He's got an eighth-round stoppage as well in his career against undefeated Diego Torres that same year.
34:04So this is now where he starts to think, okay, what do I have in 10, 11, and 12?
34:09Yeah.
34:11Or he's not thinking.
34:13He's just sitting there fighting.
34:15That's the best-case scenario.
34:16That's what you're supposed to do.
34:17You shouldn't be sitting there thinking about, I'm going to be able to go 12 rounds.
34:21No, you're just sitting there fighting.
34:24Do your job round by round, second by second, minute by minute.
34:28Which seems to be his mindset.
34:31It better, I mean, look, it better be, I would love to see a little bit more offense coming from Murataya, to be honest with you.
34:37A little bit more combinations again, and being ready and set for a return fire and set him up with something.
34:46Know that.
34:48We know that Abdoulayeva is trying to set Murataya up for the 1-2.
34:52The right hand.
34:52He wants the right hand.
34:53He's sitting down hard on that right hand.
34:56But it comes behind the jab always.
34:58He hasn't thrown a lead right.
35:00And you see him starting to move his hand.
35:02You see the movement twitching his hand.
35:04Abdoulayeva, that right hand, that's what he wants.
35:06Nice uppercut again.
35:07Those uppercuts, yeah.
35:09Absolutely.
35:09Open him up and come around the guard.
35:11See, if Murataya going to get this knockout tonight, he's going to have to go downstairs.
35:16He's going to have to get to the liver, the outside.
35:20Because Abdoulayeva has taken the best shot already, the right hand.
35:24He's taken his best shot.
35:26Only 24 body shots landed so far for Raymond Murataya out of 96.
35:30You see a little bit more combination punching from the California base fighter.
35:36Nothing spectacular here in round number nine so far.
35:43This bout is scheduled for 12.
35:44because it's okay.
35:45Mm.
35:45Mm.
35:46Mm.
35:46Mm.
35:48Mm.
35:48Mm.
35:49Mm.
35:49Mm.
35:49Mm.
35:49Mm.
35:50Mm.
36:51Round 10 here inside the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
36:57This ring once hosted in North's victory over Muhammad Ali.
37:03So big names have been in this venue, and it's a big night for Raymond Murataya's first world title opportunity against Zawur Abdullayev,
37:10who last time he fought for a belt against Devin Haney, was stopped due to a fractured orbital bone.
37:16So that happened early in the fight in fourth round.
37:18So, so far, a better experience for Abdullayev against Murataya.
37:24You see the power punches landed by round.
37:26The most landed were in round eight in favor of Murataya, with eight compared to four for his opponent.
37:33And he's doubled up at 53 to 25.
37:36But this is where Abdullayev believes he can start getting to Murataya.
37:41And he ain't, he ain't, he ain't got to throw punches.
37:43Yes.
37:44That's what he got to do.
37:45He got to let his hands go.
37:46Look, you came up short in your first attempts for a world championship.
37:49You, you've earned your way back to this championship.
37:53It's like, come on.
37:54I mean, look.
37:56You got two rounds to go, son.
37:58Two rounds to go.
37:59Step on the gas.
38:00Let your hands go.
38:04It's like, you got to get out of your comfort zone, man.
38:06You got to settle out and you got to go for it.
38:08If he lets his hands go, I promise you he's going to have success.
38:11Promise you.
38:19If you're one of the other titleists, are you looking at Murataya as a potential unification fight differently if he wins tonight, based on his performance?
38:32Absolutely not.
38:33I'm salivating.
38:35I'm salivating.
38:36Well, that's what I'm saying.
38:37Because before he was danger and no one was calling out his name.
38:40You think after tonight, maybe people start calling out his name?
38:43Oh, absolutely.
38:44They don't want that smoke.
38:45Because this is a guy that's, again, he's a smart fighter.
38:48However, he's directly in front of you.
38:50You know, pretty simple with his offense.
38:52Basic with his offense.
38:53Yeah, and everybody watching, especially in the 140-pound, 135-pound division, saying, oh, he ain't so bad.
39:00He couldn't get rid of this guy.
39:02Devin Haney got rid of this guy.
39:04Broke his orbital ball.
39:05All right.
39:06In that two box, you see Charlie Suarez, the undefeated 36-year-old Filipino number one contender who will be challenging.
39:13Emmanuel Navarrete, who had weight issues, making 130 pounds.
39:19And this young man has Olympic pedigree.
39:22He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
39:26And that is an intriguing matchup for tonight's main event.
39:29He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
39:59He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:00He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:01He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:02He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:03He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:04He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:05He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:06He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:07He's a guy with good feet, quick, explosive hands.
40:08He's a guy with good feet.
40:09He's a guy with good feet.
40:10He's a guy with good feet.
40:11He's a guy with good feet.
40:12He's a guy with good feet.
40:13He's a guy with good feet.
40:14He's a guy with good feet.
40:15He's a guy with good feet.
41:51And yet it was enough to catch Murataya's attention who came back with a quick combination in that right uppercut which has been his best punch tonight.
41:59Look, Abdulayaf described Murataya this way.
42:05He said, I have observed Murataya in the way he fights and he doesn't do anything bad but he doesn't do anything great.
42:15Okay.
42:17What are you doing great because you're getting beat right now.
42:21He threw a left hook.
42:23He threw a left hook.
42:25What's that in the left hook?
42:27Yeah.
42:28Hit the gloves partially.
42:29Hey, look, look.
42:30He threw it.
42:31Hey.
42:32You got Murataya now.
42:35He's starting to see everything come.
42:37Everything is starting to come slow to him now.
42:39He's ahead of everything.
42:40He's used to what's coming at him.
42:42He's sitting in the pocket.
42:43Look at him waiting.
42:44Subtle movement left and right.
42:45You look at one at the mid.
42:47Let's see.
42:48Oh, now finding a hook.
42:50About time.
42:53Look at that.
42:55Being smooth.
42:56Nice little body shot.
42:58Good left hook from Abdelayaf right there.
43:01Change.
43:02Finally changed it up a bit, right?
43:09But I'm just watching the comfort level of Murataya right now.
43:13Being at mid range.
43:14He's comfortable.
43:16Doesn't seem to be phased at all.
43:22He doesn't have that third weapon that Tim Bradley had inside the ring.
43:26It's a little one, two.
43:27And you allow, it allows you to throw that uppercut.
43:30Some nice uppercut.
43:36Oh, nice double jab from where it's at.
43:38Stopping the head of Abdelayaf.
43:41Up jabs.
43:42Easy work.
43:43That's Murataya saying, that's your strength.
43:46Well, I'm going to beat you at your strength.
43:48Nice body work and an uppercut from Murataya.
43:51Starting to open up here in round 11.
43:53And starting to believe he has what it takes to be a champion.
44:00Blood streaming from the nose of Zaur Abdelayaf.
44:03Let's listen to Robert Garcia.
44:04Okay.
44:05Don't make this your world champion, alright?
44:06Don't fuck it up.
44:07Don't make mistakes, alright?
44:08The way you did this round was beautiful.
44:09You're fucking breaking them apart, alright?
44:10Smart, okay?
44:11Stay smart.
44:12Good.
44:13What round?
44:14Last round.
44:15Last round, Tom.
44:16Okay.
44:17It's a great round from Raymond Murataya there.
44:18Spamming the uppercuts on the inside.
44:19Absolutely.
44:20Against that high guard.
44:21Oh.
44:22Beautiful shot right there.
44:23You see the legs buckle a little bit from Abdelayaf.
44:24Good body shot right there and roll underneath.
44:25That's textbook.
44:26From Murataya.
44:27And two jab, up jabs, splitting the guard.
44:28Coming from a different level with a different angle.
44:29Nice up jab.
44:30Split that guard.
44:31And he's got a lot of uppercuts on the inside.
44:32And he's got a lot of uppercuts on the inside.
44:33Absolutely.
44:34Against that high guard.
44:35Beautiful shot right there.
44:36You see the legs buckle a little bit from Abdelayaf.
44:39Good body shot right there and roll underneath.
44:41That's textbook.
44:42From Murataya.
44:43And two jab, up jabs, splitting the guard.
44:48Coming from a different level with a different angle.
44:53Nice up jab.
44:54Nice up jab.
44:55Split that guard, huh?
44:56Mark Criegel, your unofficial scorecard before the 12th and final round.
45:01One-on-one.
45:03One-on-one.
45:04Abdelayaf Dizanaka.
45:05Eganyasa says, my guy's making a miss.
45:07He ain't making a pay.
45:08And Murataya coming out strong here in round number 12.
45:13Abdelayaf has only landed double-digit connects in round 6 and 7.
45:18And that was 10 and 11 punches landed.
45:21But he does have two career 12 round knockouts.
45:25So he's still dangerous.
45:28And he believes he can get it right now.
45:31Absolutely.
45:32But it would be crazy because Murataya cannot allow that to happen.
45:38I mean, he's winning this fight handily.
45:41And he really, to be honest with you, all he has to do is get through this round.
45:45He's got the fight in the bag.
45:47And if I was in this corner, I'd just say, hey, man, take chances when you need to.
45:52Just box, play defense, use your jab, win the round.
45:56However, don't expose yourself.
45:59Be smart with your defense.
46:00We've got a championship that we just won.
46:03Nice lead right there from Murataya.
46:05Up the left, still working behind the jab.
46:10Nice body shot from Murataya with a right.
46:25And then the roll under.
46:26Yep.
46:27Up the left, defense.
46:31Good defense.
46:34Good defense.
46:38I don't know that one.
46:39Murataya, the southpaw stance here, the last minute, 20 seconds.
46:43He's been so effective this round from the orthodox stance.
46:46Yeah, he's in total control, though.
46:47His eyes.
46:48His eyes tells the story for me.
46:50You see his movement.
46:51He's smooth with it.
46:52Yes.
46:53Making him miss all these punches.
46:54Got his timing down.
46:56It's almost like he knows what he's going to do before he even does it.
47:01Got a little swagger to him here in round 12.
47:03Oh, yeah.
47:04So no questioning his physical condition for this fight.
47:08Nice right there from Murataya.
47:09Not at all.
47:10Not at all.
47:11Good left hand.
47:17He's about to smart this round.
47:18That's exactly what Murataya needs right here.
47:20That's a nice right hand from Murataya.
47:22Another right.
47:23Another right.
47:24Now, where he's opened himself up now.
47:27But he's been able to connect with the right here in the final seconds of this 12th round.
47:31And half a minute left to determine who will be the new interim IBF lightweight world champion.
47:37So far, it looks like Murataya's on his way.
47:40But Abdullayev has 20 seconds to change that with a beautiful right-left combination from Murataya.
47:53So too late from Zawur Abdullayev here as this.
47:56Clap for the tight 10 seconds.
47:58A new champion will be crowned.
48:01Is it a man they call danger or is it Zawur Abdullayev?
48:06It comes down to how the judges saw this fight.
48:16Did they like the effective aggressiveness of Raymond Murataya who landed on 26% of his total punches compared to 19 for Abdullayev?
48:23There's a lot of experience in Dennis O'Connell, David Southerman, and look at Steve Weisfeld. Almost 3,000 fights.
48:33So we're talking about 4,500 fights between them.
48:37And, you know, some solid judges.
48:40And let's take a look at some of the best action from this world title fight, Timmy.
48:46It was Murataya's night tonight.
48:48You know, I told you, we're out the gate.
48:50He looked sharp.
48:52Landing his combinations.
48:54Good counter-punching.
48:55You know, he went downstairs, upstairs.
48:57I mean, he did a little bit of everything.
48:59But, Abdullayev was strong in spots.
49:02Used his jab well.
49:04Especially down to the body.
49:06He had a couple of occasional right hands over the top.
49:10Catching Murataya while he was sleeping.
49:13However, I mean, I thought it was an easy fight.
49:15I mean, an easy fight to judge.
49:17You know, I feel there's no doubt in my mind that Murataya won this fight tonight.
49:21Congratulations to him and his team.
49:23I know the scorecards haven't been read yet.
49:26However, I thought it was a pretty easy fight.
49:28It was an easy fight for a guy like Murataya.
49:32He was extremely skillful, talented.
49:34And tonight, like you said, it's his night.
49:37Sometimes the numbers tell a story.
49:39140 landed compared to 87 for Abdullayev.
49:42The comparison also, the body shots is where Abdullayev really shined.
49:46And we expected it to be the jabs for Abdullayev.
49:49But you also have to look at the faces.
49:50And they tell the story of the fight.
49:53And you can see the demeanor.
49:55They do tell a story.
49:56They do tell a story.
49:57However, just to let you know, fights are not judged on damage.
50:02They're not judged on the way a fighter's face looks.
50:04They're judged on the effective punches being laid.
50:07All right.
50:08Before we get the official scorecard, let's go to Mark Kriegel for his unofficial scorecard.
50:12118, 110.
50:17Murataya was not just a quicker fighter, but the guy with more imagination.
50:21Let's send it up to the classy Jimmy Lennon Jr. for the official decision from the judges.
50:26Ladies and gentlemen, after 12 rounds of action, we have a unanimous decision.
50:31Here the score totals.
50:33Judge at ringside, Steve Weisfeld scores about 118 to 110.
50:38Judges Dennis O'Connell and David Sutherland both scored about 119 to 109.
50:45All three in favor of the winner by way of unanimous decision.
50:50And he is now the interim IBF lightweight world champion.
50:55Raymond Danger Murataya.
51:04Southern California has a new champion.
51:06He's the interim IBF title holder because everyone's waiting to see what the future holds for Vasily Lomachenko,
51:13who hasn't fought since he defeated George Kambos' newly crowned WBO champ Keyshawn Davis,
51:19longtime champion Shakur Stevenson, and the elder statesman of the decision,
51:24WBA champion Gervonta Tank Davis.
51:27Our Mark Kriegel is in the ring with the new champion, Raymond Murataya.
51:32Raymond, congratulations.
51:34How the hell does that feel?
51:36It feels great, man.
51:38All this hard work I've been putting in, all these fights, man.
51:42It feels great to finally have to surround my waist, and I couldn't do it without my team.
51:47Describe what happened in that ring tonight.
51:49I just went in there, man.
51:51He was a tough fighter.
51:52He came to fight.
51:53We knew that.
51:54I was just using my skills, just picked them apart and beat them every round.
51:58And you're still pretty.
51:59Yeah, man.
52:00I mean, thanks to my team, my defense is something we work on a lot.
52:05Listen, the great Vasily Lomachenko is out with a back injury.
52:11This is technically an interim title.
52:13He has until October 8th to decide if he's coming back or not.
52:18Do you have any rooting interest?
52:20Do you want to fight him?
52:21What are you thinking about the future?
52:23Absolutely.
52:24I'm the mandatory for him, so that's what we're looking forward to.
52:28It'll be an honor to fight him and to have his name on my resume, and I'm looking forward to that.
52:35Keyshawn Davis fights in a few weeks.
52:37Your thoughts on that?
52:38We've always been talking about a unification between you two.
52:41I'm not focused on that right now.
52:43I'm a mandatory, so I'm focused on that right now.
52:46And if that doesn't go through, man, whoever you want me to fight, I'll fight.
52:49When we sat down earlier this week, I said to myself and I told the crew, there was something different about you.
52:56Am I right?
52:58Yeah, man.
52:59I'm coming to win.
53:01I don't play boxing.
53:02This is what I do, and I'm serious about this, and I want all the belts.
53:07I mean, congratulations to you, the team.
53:09It's been a long, hard work.
53:11You're a good fighter, man.
53:12Hell of a fighter.
53:14Appreciate it, man.
53:16Fellas, back to you.
53:17Big moment for Raymond Murataya becomes a world champion.
53:20It'll be a big moment for Charlie Suarez as he challenges Emmanuel Navarrete for the WBO Junior Lightweight World Title.
53:27We'll break down this fight and give you something to look forward to when we return.
53:35You tune in to see Navarrete, you know exactly what you're gonna get.
53:40Everything he's gotten, he earns it by taking it in the ring.
53:44Beautiful combination from Navarrete.
53:49Body shot, knockdown.
53:51That's a bad boy.