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Andy Ruiz Jr. makes his comeback this weekend and wants Deontay Wilder next

"That would be an all-action fight. He’s a banger. I’m a banger as well. And he’s fought Chris Arreola before.

In 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr. became an overnight superstar by defeating Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden.
The rematch, six months later however, left much to be desired about Ruiz's professionalism.

The first Mexican heavyweight champion surrendered his three world titles with an underwhelming performance which saw Joshua outpoint him by a wide decision.

Unable to catch Joshua in their Saudi Arabia rematch, Ruiz - at 283 pounds - was ridiculed for appearing so fleshy in the ring.

Some compared his reign as champion to James 'Buster' Douglas, who delivered the biggest upset in boxing history to defeat Mike Tyson in 1989.

Douglas would be regarded as a one-hit wonder as the overweight American lost his next fight to Evander Holyfield.

Ruiz could have easily retired on the millions he made from the two Joshua fights and live the rest of his life telling fellow Mexicans about his historic night in New York.
He could have called it a day but instead, Ruiz is on a mission to become a two-time heavyweight champion. The "Mexican Destroyer" knew changes needed to be made, though.

He appointed world class trainer Eddy Reynoso - who works with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Ryan Garcia - and has lost more than 60 pounds in weight ahead of his comeback fight.

Andy Ruiz Jr celebrates a famous knockout win over Anthony Joshua in June, 2019

"That would be an exciting fight," Ruiz told BoxingScene.com about the possibility of facing Deontay Wilder. "That would be an all-action fight. He's a banger. I'm a banger as well. And he's fought Chris Arreola before.

"I'm gonna fight him on May 1st, so I think that would be a really, really good fight. I would love for that fight to happen.""If everything goes good, you know, there's a lot of fighters out there for me to fight.

"There's Wilder, there's Tyson Fury," Ruiz added. "I know he's gonna fight Anthony Joshua soon, but I gotta stay busy.

"I gotta stay active and whoever they put in my way, you can best believe I'm gonna give it all I got and train hard for whatever comes my way."

Where and when?

Ruiz, 31, collides with Chris Arreola this weekend at Dignity Sports Health Park in Carson, California on May 1.

Where can I watch it?

The bout is live and exclusive on Showtime pay-per-view in America at the price of $49.95.
In the UK, BoxNation have the rights while Premier Sports will air the fight in Ireland. It is expected to take place at 5am for British and Irish fans.

What's on the line?

While there is no title on the line, much more is at stake with a huge fight against Wilder or Dillian Whyte in the pipeline for later this year.

Where's the value?

Ruiz is the betting favourite at 1/33 with SkyBet compared to Arreola at 12/1.

While he has 22 wins inside the distance from 33 bouts, it is Ruiz's first fight in nearly two years so you can expect the Mexican to shake some of those cobwebs off.
Arreola is a seasoned veteran at heavyweight but has six defeats from 45 fights, and has been stopped by Wilder, Vitali Klitschko and Bermane Stiverne.
"The Nightmare" has durability but can also be dropped. SkyBet are offering odds of 12/1 for Ruiz to win between rounds 11 to 12 while the smart bet is to back Ruiz by decision or technical decision at 7/2.
For Arreola to win via TKO or KO you can get 12/1 while it's 40/1 that he wins by decision or technical decision. A draw is 33/1.

The full undercard

  • Erislandy Lara vs Thomas Lamanna
  • Eduardo Ramirez vs Isaac Avelar
  • Sebastian Fundora vs Jorge Cota
  • Omar Figueroa Jr. vs Abel Ramos
  • Jesus Alejandro Ramos vs Javier Molina
  • Adrian Granados vs Jose Luis Sanchez
The betting odds were correct at the time of publishing and may have changed since.

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