Raymond Muratala extended his undefeated record to 21-0 with a unanimous decision win over former world champion Tevin Palmer, and went on to face Dennis Berinchik and Shakur Stevenson.
Muratala won 97-92, 96-93, 95-94 in their lightweight bout on Saturday night. Palmer held the IBF super featherweight title from 2018 to 2020.
The California native now hopes to take on WBO lightweight champion Dennis Berinchik or WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
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Last week, Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight world title by defeating Artem Harutyunyan via unanimous decision.
“I want a champion next,” the 27-year-old said. “Berinkic called my name. He’s calling my name right now. If I can’t get Berinkic, I want Shakur.”
Muratala vs. Palmer became the main event in Las Vegas after WBO and IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkanulli withdrew from his title defense against Andrej Mihajlovic due to dehydration.
The 33-year-old Palmer was outclassed in the box by Muratala in the first half, showing off his southpaw style and counterattacking ability, but as the game progressed, he was weakened by Muratala’s overwhelming power.
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Muratalla’s wicked right hand stunned Farmer in the 10th and final round.
Palmer had a 6-0 record in his 41 fights and was deducted a point in the eighth round for holding, but Muratala won the fight in the final 10th round with a series of body punches and a powerful right hand.
The winner said: “He was moving. He was holding on. So I had to keep pressing. And we won.
“I just kept the pressure on. I just kept the pressure on. My team told me to keep the pressure on. I just broke him down round after round.”
The frustrated farmer said, “That point deduction is crazy. I think we’re both holding our own.
“Every time I tried to go out, he would grab my arm, so it looked like I was holding on. But it’s the referee. The referee makes the call. You have to take it on the chin.”
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