If the plans top British promoter Frank Warren has come to fruition, there will be a huge night for British heavyweight boxing taking place on October 29th. It will also be a huge night for the two Fury’s, Tyson and Hughie. As fans know, Oct. 29 is the working date (still, despite all that has happened) for the eagerly awaited Fury-Klitschko II, and Warren has written in his column in The Star how this mega-fight will indeed happen – “I expect an announcement to confirm everything is going ahead as planned soon” – and that Hughie Fury will face unbeaten Mexican/American Andy Ruiz Jr on the under-card.
Andy Ruiz
Gerald Washington, Andy Ruiz Junior both win by KO, retain unbeaten records
Deontay Wilder and Chris Arreola were not the only big men fighting last night, there were two young (ish) and unbeaten heavyweights in action also. On the card in Alabama, Gerald Washington went to 18-0-1(12) with a 4th-round KO over veteran Ray Austin, 29-8-4(18). While in Detroit, Michigan, 26-year-old Andy Ruiz Junior stopped another veteran in Josh Gormley, via 3rd-round TKO. Ruiz is now 28-0(19), Gormley, who was having just his fourth fight since 1999, falls to 22-5(21) and the 42-year-old’s comeback looks to be over.
Andy Ruiz Jr to make ring return next month; you’ll never guess who against!
One of the more interesting heavyweights out there, unbeaten Andy Ruiz Jr, has not yet seen his skills tested at the highest level; or anything approaching the highest level to be perfectly honest. This doesn’t mean Ruiz, 26-0(17) and hailing from California, cannot fight, he most certainly can. Possessing fast hands, power and, despite his bulky physical appearance, a good engine, the 26-year-old has impressed his share of fans and experts. We just don’t yet know whether or not Ruiz – who hasn’t fought since last October and who has boxed just twice in the past 17 months (although he did box in both September and October of last year) – is world class.
The Plight of the Mexican Heavyweight
It’s no secret that the Hispanic audience, in particular the Mexican audience, is the backbone of boxing in the United States. One only need look at the monster PPV numbers it does on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day in September, when not even the UFC would dare try and compete.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. was smart enough to use the holidays mentioned above to build his Mexican fan base (and expand his bank account). But he wasn’t the first non- Hispanic boxer to exploit the market’s precious resources, in fact, he wasn’t even the first Mayweather. His uncle, Roger if you can recall, used something a little less business – savvy and something a little more blunt (not to mention risky) by calling himself, “The Mexican Assassin.”
Andy Ruiz Jr: I’ll be Ready to Fight Wilder or Tyson Fury Soon
Mexican-American heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr (25-0, 17ko) claims he has bounced back after a 9 month lay-off due to injury, and that his forgettable 8 round comeback win at the weekend over journeyman, Joell Godfrey, was merely a springboard on to bigger and better things now the cogs have been oiled again.
The unbeaten 26 year old is straight back out again on October 24th, when he takes on recent Anthony Joshua foe, Raphael Zumbano Love, and is also insistent that some of the weight and fitness issues that have dogged him will be a thing of the past if he keeps the momentum going.