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Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. will return to the boxing ring Saturday for his first fight in more than a year when he faces former title challenger Chris Arreola at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.
Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) last fought in December 2019 when he came up short in defense of his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua. He lost a unanimous decision in a highly anticipated rematch at the Diriyah Arena in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The fight came six months after Ruiz shocked the world and stopped Joshua in the seventh round to become the unified champion and hand Joshua his first defeat as a professional.
MORE: Odds, more info for Ruiz-Arreola
Since the loss, Ruiz opted to leave longtime trainer Manny Robles and join forces with Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Canelo Alvarez, Oscar Valdez and Ryan Garcia. Not only that, but Ruiz has dropped a considerable amount of weight and appears to be in the best shape of his life heading into the fight with Arreola.
Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs, two no-contests) has long been a fan favorite because of his all-action style. Unfortunately for him, he has often fallen short in championship opportunities with losses to Deontay Wilder, Bermane Stiverne, Tomasz Adamek and Vitali Klitschko. The 40-year-old knows that it is now or never to get another shot at a championship. Can he pull off the upset?
Stay tuned as Sporting News provides up-to-the-minute coverage of the heavyweight clash.
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola results
Round 8 (12:15 a.m.): Arreola looking for a way inside but can’t find a spot to fire power shots. Arreola lands a right hand. Ruiz lands a right hand it it seems like Arreola has hurt his shoulder. Left hook lands for Ruiz. Not a lot happening in this round but, again, Ruiz was busier. 10-9 Ruiz (77-74 Ruiz)
Round 7 (12:11 a.m.): Arreola isn’t throwing a lot of punches and allowing Ruiz to take rounds on activity. They exchange jabs. Ruiz with a body head combination. Ruiz with a blistering combination that Arreola takes well but doesn’t offer anything in return. The activity from Ruiz is giving him the edge. 10-9 Ruiz (67-65 Ruiz)
Round 6 (12:07 a.m.): Ruiz opens the sixth with a hard three punch combination. Right hand by Arreola. Left hook from Ruiz backs Arreola up. Another three punch combination by Ruiz. Ruiz lands to the body but Arreola steps in with a right hand. Ruiz is starting to pick up steam and rounds. 10-9 Ruiz (57-56 Ruiz)
Round 5 (12:03 a.m.): Arreola sneaks in a right hand a minute into the round. Feels like both are waiting for the other to make a mistake. Arreola finds Ruiz’s face with a hard right hand. Big left and right combination from Ruiz. Arreola causes Ruiz to whiff on a big right hand. Close round but Ruiz being more active will give him the round. 10-9 Ruiz (47-47)
Round 4 (11:59 p.m.): Ruiz opens the fourth with a combination but Arreola takes it well. Arreola waiting for an opening and chops Ruiz with a right hand. Ruiz making a commitment to the body. Straight right by Ruiz. Much better round by Ruiz. 10-9 Ruiz (38-37 Arreola)
Round 3 (11:55 p.m.): Arreola opens up and cracks Ruiz again! Ruiz is hurt! What the hell is going on?? Arreola has figured out Ruiz and is hurting him at will. The right hand by Arreola is like a heat seeking missile. Ruiz with a combination that drives Arreola back. Ruiz with a short left hand that stuns Arreola but he fires back with a right hand that staggers Ruiz. This is a great fight. 10-9 Arreola (29-27 Arreola)
Round 2 (11:51 p.m.): Not a lot happening in the first minute until Arreola lowers a hard right hand and down goes Ruiz! Ruiz is back to his feet and they briefly slug it out. Ruiz appears to have his legs under him. Left hook by Ruiz lands and Arreola fires a hard combination that appears to hurt Ruiz! Whoa. What a second round by Arreola. 10-8 Arreola (19-18 Arreola)
Round 1 (11:47 p.m.): Ruiz starts pressuring immediately. Arreola with a body shot and Ruiz returns with a combination. Straight right hand lands for Ruiz. Ruiz jabbing to the body. Fast and hard right hand by Ruiz. He’s sharp. Ruiz’s hands look extremely fast. To Arreola’s credit, he’s been sound defensively. But this was a Ruiz round. (10-9 Ruiz)
11:40 p.m.: Both fighters are in the ring and it is time for a heavyweight clash.
11:28 p.m.: Main event is up next as Andy Ruiz Jr. makes his highly anticipated return to the boxing ring to face Chris Arreola in what is sure to be an all-action fight.
11:17 p.m.: Abel Ramos is running away with this fight and has completely broken Figueroa down. Ramos’ commitment to the body began paying off in dividends in the sixth round and a brutal body assault sent Figueroa to his corner spitting up blood. His corner had no choice but to stop the fight. An incredible victory for Ramos and an absolute beatdown of a former highly-touted prospect. The Ramos family has had an excellent night.
11:06 p.m.: After three rounds, Ramos is being sturdy and consistent enough to give Figueroa some problems. Figueroa is attempting to be crafty but Ramos isn’t falling for any of his traps. He had a hard time in the first two rounds but Ramos has seemed to figure his opponent out and is landing with more frequency.
10:52 p.m.: Up next is the co-main event as Omar Figueroa Jr. faces a stiff test against Abel Ramos in a welterweight showdown. Figueroa is returning to the ring after suffering his first loss to Yordenas Ugas back in July 2019. Ramos also is coming off of a loss to Ugas, but it was a split decision. Both need a win in this WBA world title eliminator.
10:36 p.m.: As anticipated, the fight didn’t go the distance. Fundora hurt Cota badly in the fourth round and was landing with alarming frequency. Cota tried to land the home run but was getting crushed by a variety of power shots. The referee finally stepped in after a hard left hook. The crowd booed because they wanted Cota to go out on his shield but he was in danger of being hurt badly. Great performance by Fundora, who continues to climb up the ladder with his unique size, reach and skill set.
10:25 p.m.: Fundora and Cota have spent the first six minutes throwing hard leather at each other. This fight is unlikely to go the distance so enjoy it while it lasts.
10:15 p.m.: Up next is the 6-foot-6 super welterweight Sebastian Fundora (16-0-1, 11 KOs) stepping into the ring with seasoned veteran Jorge Cota (30-4, 27 KOs). Cota rebounded from back-to-back losses to Jeison Rosario and Jermell Charlo to win two fights in a row. Fundora is aiming to get his third straight knockout.
10:02 p.m.: After ten rounds, Jesus Ramos earns the unanimous decision. He was unable to collect the knockout but Molina was crafty enough to avoid any significant damage. Ramos demonstrated maturity once he realized that Molina wouldn’t engage to give him the opening he needed and used pressure and body work to take the decision.
9:41 p.m.: After five rounds, Ramos is in control but Molina isn’t making it easy. The veteran has been slick and forcing Ramos to work to land punches. Ramos has begun to work on the body to slow down Molina’s movement as he pursues his 15th knockout.
9:17 p.m.: We’re kicking off the Ruiz-Arreola undercard with Jesus Ramos (15-0, 14 KOs) taking on Javier Molina (22-3). Ramos has shown some impressive power but Molina has proven to be durable.
What time does Ruiz Jr. vs. Arreola start?
- Date: Saturday, May 1
- Main card: 9 p.m. ET
- Ruiz-Arreola main event: Approximately midnight ET
The Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola PPV main card begins at 9 p.m. ET, with the fighters expected to make their ring walks at approximately midnight ET, depending on the length of the earlier fights.
How to watch Ruiz Jr. vs. Arreola
The Ruiz vs. Arreola fight is a Fox Sports PBC event that is available via pay-per-view through many cable and satellite providers; check with your local provider for more information.
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola fight card
- Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola; heavyweights
- Abel Ramos def. Omar Figueroa Jr. via 6th round TKO (3:00)
- Sebastian Fundora def. Jorge Cota via 4th round TKO (2:35)
- Jesus Ramos def. Javier Molina via unanimous decision (97-92, 99-90 & 99-90)
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