No deal: vacant IBF title fight between Cruz and Subkhankulov goes to purse bid
Andy Cruz and Artur Subkhankulov failed to agree terms for the vacant IBF lightweight title. A purse bid on October 20 will now decide who stages the fight.
Symbolic image · Photo: Johnnynajjar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The camps of Andy Cruz and Artur Subkhankulov let the IBF's negotiation deadline pass without a deal. As a result, FightNews reports, a purse bid for the vacant IBF lightweight title will be held on Tuesday, October 20.
The title is vacant because Raymond Muratalla gave it up to move up in weight, according to The Ring. Cruz (7-1, 4 KOs) lost a majority decision to Muratalla in January, while Subkhankulov is unbeaten at 12-0 (6 KOs).
The two have met before as amateurs: in 2019 Cruz won a semifinal at the Grand Prix in Ústí nad Labem by split decision, according to FightNews.