Former three-belt heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. returns to the ring for the first time since his loss to Anthony Joshua. Plus Katie Taylor continues her quest to prove she s the best in the world.
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Andy Ruiz Jr is back Saturday night on FOX pay-per-view, facing Chris Arreola in a match we all pretty well agree doesn’t belong on pay-per-view.
But there are some fights here. Ruiz-Arreola, of course, plus three more bouts on PPV, as well as Erislandy Lara headlining the FOX undercard that starts at 7 pm ET.
Let’s just get to the picks.
Note: Lewis Watson is taking a leave of absence so, for now, the prediction squad is down to three.
Erislandy Lara vs Thomas Lamanna
Scott Christ (26-8-2)
Lara stepping up to middleweight at 38 is fine. If it sets up Lara against Jermall Charlo, neat. Charlo needs opponents. This being for the vacant WBA “world” (“regular”) middleweight title is an absolute laugh. Cornflake Lamanna is a tough dude who comes to fight, but he has no business being in anything called a world title fight. That is leaps beyond his ability and record. Lara will do what he wants to in this one. He’ll drag it out for
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola: fight prediction, odds, card, chances, face-to-face heavyweights
Andy Ruiz Jr. if the boxing career is already the perfect candidate for a day in a Hollywood script thanks to the recent knockout of heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua as a last-minute opponent, the two years immediately followed have only added depth to the overall story.
Ruiz, a Mexican-American slugger known for his strong belly and quick deceptive hands, seems to have liked his success too much in 2019, when he weighed almost too much for his victory with Joshua seven months later. He lost because of a wide decision.
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
This Saturday night, FOX and Premier Boxing Champions are back on pay-per-view for Andy Ruiz Jr’s comeback fight against Chris Arreola.
The decision to put the show on PPV has been hugely unpopular, and while probably not as simple a call as some might think, the bottom line for fans is that the show is $50 to watch.
Is it worth it? Is there enough reason for a fight fan to fork over the cash?
The Main Event
The matchup between Ruiz (33-2, 22 KO) and Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KO) has been sold largely on Ruiz losing 30 pounds since we last saw him in the ring, when he was pretty awful and horribly out of shape for his rematch loss to Anthony Joshua in Dec. 2019 in Saudi Arabia.