The 2020 Olympic gold medalist has officially received an invitation from the IBF to square off against Albert Bell in a lightweight title eliminator. If the Cuban contender accepts and beats Bell, Cruz would be ranked No. 1 by the sanctioning body and again become the mandatory challenger for Muratalla’s title.

Muratalla (24-0, 17 KOs) defeated Cruz (6-1, 3 KOs) by majority decision January 24 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

For long stretches, they fought on even terms, resulting in judge Max De Luca handing in a scorecard of 114-114. However, Muratalla’s pressure and gas tank impressed Tim Cheatham and Steve Weisfeld, who scored it 118-110 and 116-112, respectively, in favor of Muratalla.

Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), who’s ranked No. 6 by the IBF, is ready for his shot in the spotlight.

The 33-year-old Toledo, Ohio native was initially offered an eliminator against fellow undefeated contender, Lucas Bahdi. But Bahdi (20-0, 15 KOs), the IBF’s No. 5 contender, declined the opportunity, opening the door for Cruz, who dropped to No. 7 in the rankings after Muratalla defeated him.

It’s unknown if Cruz will accept the IBF’s offer, which would move the winner into the vacant top spot in its lightweight top 15. Shortly after his defeat to Muratalla, Eddie Hearn, Cruz’s promoter, explained to the media that he would like to see his fighter move down to the junior lightweight division.

If Cruz makes that move or outright declines, eighth-ranked Argentinean contender Alan Abel Chavez (21-0, 18 KOs) would be the next fighter to get the call to battle Bell.