"I came here to do what I was supposed to do, and tonight I got the win," Muratalla said after the win, according to a report from The Ring, which was monitored in Jakarta on Sunday.
Muratalla, the underdog despite being the reigning IBF lightweight champion, kept the pressure on the ambitious Cuban challenger throughout the intense fight.
He was more consistent in landing hard shots and eventually won via majority decision of the judges with scores of 118-110, 116-112,114-114, to retain his title.
Cruz countered several times and fought backwards for most of the fight, but this did not significantly affect the judges' scores, Tim Cheatham, Steve Weisfeld, and Max De Luca.
