“The mindset changes, you know what I mean? You’re a champion now,” smiled Raymond Muratalla. “I immediately just got back to work, just went back to the gym and I’ve just been working on more stuff because I know I’m a champion now. People are going to be after me.”
The mindset is to keep improving even though the Californian holds the IBF’s lightweight title.
Knowing he would have a fight coming up, Muratalla went back into camp with trainer Robert Garcia to get ready and, sure enough, having upset Andy Cruz earlier in the year in Las Vegas, Muratalla defends his title against Robson Conceicao in Sin City on Saturday.
The champion is 24-0 (17 KOs) and the 29-year-old boxes on the Lamont Roach-William Zepeda bill at Virgin Hotels.
Is he now the hunter, looking at the other champions, or the hunted?
“It seems like a little bit of both, I still feel like I’m still growing and still working on things, so it’s always room for improvement and I’m always looking for a challenge and just trying to get these great fights,” he said.
The Top Rank fighter has seen plenty, though. Cruz was a Cuban amateur star, Philly’s Tevin Farmer a grizzled veteran and Russian Zaur Abdullaev had lost just once before they met.
“I think it’s important and to just be able to experience that, it’s what it’s all about,” he said of the tests he’s passed so far. “I think every fight is a learning experience, no matter if they’re like a veteran or not. There’s always mistakes being made and there’s always something to learn from, so I think every each and every one of my fights was something to learn from and to improve on.”
Against Cruz, on a show promoted by Matchroom – who back Cruz – Muratalla was not expected to win.
“It felt good, it felt good,” he smiled.
“It seemed like things weren’t going to be on my side, but I believed in myself. I believed in my work ethic and I think just having that belief in myself was huge and got me that win. But I think as far as the mindset, I was going in that fight thinking I was going to win and believing I was going to win and it was my night and it was a good night.”
Muratalla believes the Cuban can still go on to “do great against other fighters” but, for now, his attention is on the vastly-experienced Conceicao.
“He comes to fight, he’s a tough opponent,” Muratalla said. “He’s been in there with some good guys. We just know that he’s going to come to fight. It’s going to be a good fight. I think the fans are going to enjoy this one.”
When it is over, Muratalla will be able to compare what he has done against the Brazilian to the veteran’s former opponents, like Shakur Stevenson, O’Shaquie Foster, Oscar Valdez and Emanuel Navarrete.
“All I can do is just be myself in that ring and do what I can,” the champion added. “I think as long as I’m fully prepared and a hundred percent in good shape, I’ll be fine. I’m looking to just be myself in that ring and have fun.”
The priority for Muratalla is to stay busy. Sure, there are big names and other champions he can target, but he wants to box this weekend and again before the year is out.
“Honestly, just being active,” he said of his goals. ”I want to keep fighting, man. I love to fight. This is what I love to do. So I’m going to keep fighting, keep staying active and whoever they put in front of me, they put in front of me.
“Obviously I’m trying to hit it for the big fights, but I know it’s going to be a process and I’m working towards it and that’s just what it is.”
Asked whether another Top Rank fighter, like Abdullah Mason, is a logical future opponent, Muratalla keeps his own counsel.
“I mean if that happens, that happens, you know what I mean? It’s hard to say what can and can’t be done. I have no control over that, but as far as the big fights, that’s something that I want. I’m going to keep doing my job. I’m going to keep fighting my fight and that’s what’s just going to happen.”
One name that has been mentioned is Stevenson, who is bigger and also on many pound-for-pound lists. Muratalla is not put-off by either fact, but he does know that Shakur signed with Zuffa Boxing and that might make a fight between them harder to envisage.
“I have no clue what that’s going to look like at all,” he said of the promotional landscape. “But yeah, I would assume it’s going to be difficult, but yeah, those guys, they can make it happen if they really wanted to. I guess we’ll just see.”
There can is no margin for error this weekend, however.
This time, Muratalla goes in a favorite but understands it could be a tough night.
“I’m just really focused on the fight,” he said. “Mindset’s still the same and I’m still going in there to win and I’m not getting comfortable at all. I see this fight as a tough fight and another challenge. I always look at things to always get better and always improve on. You see guys, they get comfortable, they don’t want to learn and see their careers maybe go downhill. I never want to make that mistake. It’s always been something that’s just in me. I always wanted to just get better and keep improving overall.”