It’s not uncommon for a newly-crowned world champion to be eased into their reign with a simple first title defense before moving on to more difficult challenges.

This is anything but that for Raymond Muratalla. The IBF lightweight champion will make his first title defense on Saturday against Andy Cruz at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on DAZN.

Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) won the interim IBF title with a one-sided unanimous decision over Zaur Abdullaev. The 29-year-old from Fontana, California, was elevated to world champion after former three-division titlist Vasiliy Lomachenko announced his retirement and relinquished the belt.

Cruz (6-0, 3 KOs), 30, is a highly decorated amateur from Cuba who won a gold medal in the 2020 Olympics. He became the mandatory challenger in his last bout when he dropped Hironori Mishiro twice in a fifth-round stoppage victory in an IBF title eliminator on June 14.

Muratalla is The Ring’s No. 3-ranked lightweight, while Cruz is No. 5.

Last fight: Defeated Abdullaev by unanimous decision on May 10 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.

Odds: Muratalla is a clear underdog at +210 odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

How does Muratalla win? Murtalla is as pure a boxer-puncher as you'll see. He can do a little bit of everything inside the ring and has shown the ability to finish fights when he has his opponents in trouble.

Muratalla’s uppercuts and left hook to the body will be vital weapons, especially given how Cruz prefers to defend with his guard. If Muratalla is going to find a home for those punches, he needs to find a way to take away Cruz’s best weapons, which are his jab and straight right hand. Whether that’s jabbing with Cruz or countering his jab with a straight right hand, taking away his jab will allow Muratalla to work his way to the inside.

From there, his work to the body will be vital to slowing Cruz down in the later rounds. It could also force him to lower his guard, which could leave openings upstairs for Muratalla.

If Muratalla can find success going to the body and force Cruz to fight at a faster pace than he’s used to, he could have the inside track to a successful first title defense.

What does it mean if Muratalla wins? A win over Cruz would easily be the best of Muratalla’s career and give him a strong claim as the best 135-pounder in the world if Shakur Stevenson opts to stay at 140 pounds.

With an ever-changing landscape at lightweight, Muratalla would be well-positioned to reign atop the division for the foreseeable future. And with Top Rank stablemate Abdullah Mason (18-0, 15 KOs) holding the WBO belt, a future unification bout could very well be the best fight that can be made in the division.

What they’re saying: "I think for [Cruz], it’s gonna be a problem. I think it's too soon for him, just to deal with the type of pressure I put on the mind. So, I think it's gonna be too much for him and see me breaking him down in the later rounds. There's definitely a chance I can stop him. My power speaks for itself, so I think with the right shot, I could definitely stop him."

TV/Stream: Muratalla vs Cruz will stream live on DAZN at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.