Andy Cruz’s confidence and ambition quickly led the Cuban contender to exactly where he believed he belonged all along.

The 2021 Olympic gold medalist will challenge unbeaten IBF lightweight champ Raymond Muratalla in just the seventh professional fight of Cruz’s career Saturday night. Muratalla suspects Cruz isn’t ready for this type of fight yet, but an unfazed Cruz maintains Muratalla is the fighter who will be surprised once the bell rings to start a 12-round main event DAZN will stream worldwide from Fontainebleau Las Vegas (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT).

“He will realize that it won’t be as easy as he believes it will be,” Cruz told The Ring. “When I go into that ring, I believe my [skill] level is superior to whatever challenge he can bring. I believe not just my talent, but all that hard work I’ve put in, is perfect. I believe that my intelligence in that ring will nullify whatever he brings. That’s not to say he isn’t a good fighter. He’s a good fighter. I think it will be a really entertaining fight for the fans, but with the same ending as always. ‘And the new …’ ”

The highly skilled Cruz could punctuate a tremendous 2½-year run since he made his pro debut by dethroning Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs). Muratalla is the most polished, powerful opponent Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs) has encountered, however, since he edged American rival Keyshawn Davis by split decision in the lightweight final at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

“It’s what I always wanted to do,” Cruz said. “It was my main objective when I came to the U.S. And I’m just one step away from that now. It’s practically done. It’s practically there. I just need to go out on the 24th and show what I’m made of and show that nothing is gifted to you in life.”

Cruz, 30, secured this championship bout by beating Hironori Mishiro (17-2-1, 6 KOs), who lost their IBF eliminator by fifth-round technical knockout June 14 in New York.

Muratalla, 29, is much more dangerous than Japan’s Mishiro. The Fontana, California native won the IBF interim 135-pound crown when he thoroughly out-classed Russian contender Zaur Abdullaev (21-2, 13 KOs) and beat him by big margins on all three scorecards May 10 in San Diego. The IBF elevated Muratalla to full champion once Ukraine’s Vasiliy Lomachenko informed the IBF he retired in June and gave up that belt.

Muratalla is The Ring’s third-ranked lightweight contender for an unclaimed championship. Cruz is rated fifth by The Ring, but DraftKings lists him as a 2-1 favorite to beat Muratalla.

If he becomes champion Saturday night, Cruz hopes the IBF belt will afford him the leverage to secure the most meaningful fights available in his division later this year or in 2027. Cruz is also open to moving up five pounds if that helps him land higher-profile junior welterweight bouts, most notably a much-discussed fight versus Davis, whom Cruz beat in each of their four amateur matches.

“Since I came here, I went into everything with the mindset that I was No. 1,” Cruz said. “Now it’s just a case of having to show it. I think winning this fight will open big doors and it would get me those big fights that I’ve always wanted.”