Raymond Muratalla was just as bored by what he saw Friday night from Times Square as most fans who watched The Ring’s “FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves” show.

The undefeated lightweight contender promised to deliver much more entertainment than that during a lightweight title fight ESPN will televise from Pechanga Arena in San Diego. Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) will square off versus Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) in the network’s 12-round co-feature of a doubleheader scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET in the United States.

Barring a draw, Muratalla, of Fontana, California, or Russia’s Abdullaev will leave the ring with the unclaimed IBF interim 135-pound championship. Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) will be obligated to fight the winner if the 37-year-old Ukrainian southpaw decides to box again.

“I just think he’s a tough fighter,” Muratalla told The Ring. “He’s gonna come forward and he’s gonna fight. He’s not just gonna come forward, just to be there. I think that’s what makes him who he is.”

Muratalla’s crowd-pleasing style has made him who he is in 8½ years as a pro. His approach typically leads to knockouts, though Abdullaev has won nine consecutive fights since former undisputed lightweight champ Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) stopped him after four one-sided rounds in September 2019 at Madison Square Garden’s Theater in New York.

“I’ve got a style that’s entertaining,” Muratalla said. “I know fans wanna see a great fight. I’ve got a style that’s just entertaining and people wanna see. It makes me just wanna keep putting in work and putting on a show for the fans.”

Muratalla’s title shot has been a long time coming for a powerful, skillful fighter who has waited patiently to gain the financial leverage that accompanies championships within boxing’s four-belt system.

“It’s huge for me,” Muratalla said. “All the work I’ve been putting in, it’s finally getting me to this opportunity. I’m just feeling blessed and feeling great and ready to go. I’m expecting a tough fight. I know he comes to fight. He’s well prepared and I’m super well prepared.”

Abdullaev, 31, is the IBF’s second-ranked contender in the 135-pound division. Muratalla, 28, is ranked fourth by the IBF. They’ll fight for the unoccupied No. 1 position in the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization’s top 15.

Muratalla is rated No. 6 in The Ring’s top 10 at lightweight, but Abdullaev is not ranked.

The Muratalla-Abdullaev bout will precede a 12-round main event in which Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 31 KOs) will defend his WBO junior lightweight title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs).