Raymond Muratalla will finally land a title shot of sorts.

The Ring has confirmed an interim IBF lightweight title fight is being explored between Muratalla and Zaur Abdullaev. RCC Boxing, Abdullaev’s promoter, acknowledged that the two sides are already in negotiations for a spring showdown.

Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs)— The Ring’s No. 7 lightweight contender and No. 4 with the IBF—is represented by Top Rank.

Abdullaev is the IBF’s highest rated lightweight at No. 2, with the No. 1 spot vacant given there is no current mandatory challenger.

Three-division titlist and former Ring lightweight champ Vasiliy Lomachenko (18-3, 12 KOs) is the current IBF lightweight beltholder. However, The Ring's No. 2 lightweight is still recovering from a back injury and remains uncertain about his future in the sport.

Lomachenko has not fought since his eleventh-round knockout of George Kambosos (21-3, 10 KOs) in their vacant IBF lightweight title clash between former unified lightweight champions last May 12 in Perth, Western Australia.

Abdullaev has won nine in a row since a Sept. 2019 fourth-round stoppage defeat by Devin Haney in New York City. The setback came with the interim WBC lightweight title at stake, which Haney (31-0, 15 KOs; 1 No-Contest) parlayed into a full title reign. He went on to win The Ring championship and fully unify the division with a pair of 2022 wins on away soil over Kambosos.

Meanwhile, Abdullaev firmly punched his way back into contention.

Wins over former titlists Dejan Zlaticanin, Jorge Linares and Roger Gutierrez all look good on paper. The fight that put him in the mix for the secondary IBF belt, however, was his lone road trip over that stretch. Abdullaev stopped Juan Javier Carrasco in the 12th round of their title eliminator for the No. 2 spot last Oct. 19 in Ciudad Mendoza, Argentina.

Muratalla has rapidly advanced from budding prospect to a bonafide contender. The Robert Garcia-trained lightweight enjoyed a breakout performance in a May 2023 second-round knockout of former title challenger Jeremia Naktahila in Las Vegas.

Four more wins have followed, including a ten-round decision over former IBF 130-pound titlist Tevin Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) last July 13 also in Las Vegas. Muratalla scored a second-round knockout of Jesus A. Perez in his most recent bout last Nov. 2 in Verona, New York.

If Lomachenko proceeds with his career, he will be ordered to face the Muratalla-Abdullaev winner. Otherwise, said victor will eventually elevate to full IBF titleholder.