BoxRec

Andy Ruiz, 'Pitbull' Cruz to Feature on Aug. 3 Terence Crawford Card

Smaller venue, bigger card.

Upon further review, those promoting Terence Crawford’s Aug. 3 pursuit of a fourth division title have decided to make the venue more intimate than the massive Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by shifting their focus next door to BMO Stadium, officials with knowledge of the change told Boxing Scene on Monday.

While downsizing from the historic 75,000-plus-seat to the six-year-old 22,000-seat soccer-centered BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium), the promotion marking the debut U.S. event of Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh has started significantly beefing up the card with elite talent from Mexico.

In addition to Crawford’s main-event bout against WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs), the card is scheduled to include the first 140-pound title defense by Mexico’s new WBA 140-pound champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz and the return of former world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr., the officials told BS.

A formal news conference to announce the card is scheduled for Wednesday in New York. Earlier Monday, BS reported that the Crawford-Madrimov bout will also be for the WBO interim junior middleweight title (while champion Sebastian Fundora recovers from a broken nose).

Cruz (26-2-1, 18 KOs) won his belt with an electrifying eighth-round stoppage of former champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero on March 30 in the co-main event to Fundora’s two-belt, junior middleweight title victory over Australia’s Tim Tszyu in Las Vegas.

Cruz was the prohibitive fan favorite among all fighters on that card, and his handlers immediately let it be known he would return quickly, in a bout in either Los Angeles or Las Vegas.

Cruz’s Aug. 3 opponent will reportedly be Mexico's Jose "El Rayo" Valenzuela (13-2, 9 KOs), who defeated Chris Colbert in December.

Former heavyweight champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs), who produced the dramatic 2019 title victory as a replacement opponent for then-three-belt-champion Anthony Joshua, hasn’t fought since his September 2022 unanimous decision triumph over former title challenger Luis Ortiz at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Ruiz, from Imperial, Calif., boosts the popularity of the card as he’ll attempt to better position himself, at age 34, to re-emerge as a contender to the likes of champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in a division loaded with serious contenders.

Ruiz’s Aug. 3 opponent is reportedly former contender Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs), who showed up very overweight for his Dec. 23 loss to Daniel Dubois in Saudi Arabia, meaning these two notoriously heavy men may combine to weigh more than 600 pounds on fight night.

Another possible fight that has been discussed for the card is a farewell bout for former three-division champion Abner Mares – a trilogy bout against his Los Angeles rival, four-division champion Leo Santa Cruz.

That match has yet to be finalized, three officials told BS Monday, and it’s possible that it will either take place later in the year or that just Santa Cruz will participate in the Aug. 3 card.

Santa Cruz (38-2-1, 19 KOs) told Boxing Scene last month that he is ready to fight again following a layoff dating to his February 2022 super featherweight victory over Keenan Carbajal.

Obese Vs obese

Ruiz really needs to be facing better opposition than this. He's being overtaken by the likes of Parker, Hrgovic and Zhang.

It's good matchmaking if both guys actually train for it.
You gotta back the power and skills of Ruiz don't you?
Unless there isn't any drug testing...

It’s a good fight. But it’s not a great fight, I would expect ruiz to win, no garentee though. This has points written all over it unless Ruiz is in great shape.

Don’t really see what it does for Ruiz if he wins… but if big baby wins I guess he is back in the mix.

gregregegg wrote: ↑23 Apr 2024, 16:59 It’s a good fight. But it’s not a great fight, I would expect ruiz to win, no garentee though. This has points written all over it unless Ruiz is in great shape.

Don’t really see what it does for Ruiz if he wins… but if big baby wins I guess he is back in the mix.

I guess it gets Ruiz busy again but he needs a top 15 opponent. Whyte, Wallin, Joyce, Bakole all available and make more sense for him and he would also be the betting favourite.

Ruiz, if in shape, will have too much in hand speed and combinations to take a UD, imo.

NazNaci1 wrote: ↑23 Apr 2024, 17:50Ruiz, if in shape, will have too much in hand speed and combinations to take a UD, imo.

Yep, Ruiz by clear UD

Neither of them will show up in shape.

THE BATTLE OF THE BELLIES Jarrell Miller Vs Andy Ruiz

Survival of the fattest.

Andy looked alright in the presser on Wednesday.
Certainly not slim, but not as big as he has been.

Perseus wrote: ↑24 Apr 2024, 10:46 Neither of them will show up in shape.

Round is a shape

Jeff_lacy_ko wrote: ↑24 Apr 2024, 16:58

Perseus wrote: ↑24 Apr 2024, 10:46 Neither of them will show up in shape.

Round is a shape

KiwiRider wrote: ↑24 Apr 2024, 16:13 Andy looked alright in the presser on Wednesday.
Certainly not slim, but not as big as he has been.

His legs look like they belong on a different body

Andy Ruiz is so frustrating. 3 fights in 5 years is awful. Would love to see him active, but his time is running out to be relevant.

It's like he waits for his bank balance to run down to the last few quid, and books in another fight.

gregregegg wrote: ↑23 Apr 2024, 16:59 It’s a good fight. But it’s not a great fight, I would expect ruiz to win, no garentee though. This has points written all over it unless Ruiz is in great shape.

But Miller always comes out swinging doesn't he? Ruiz will have to respond and in a brawl Ruiz KOs him. I see a KO, not a decision—unless Miller has gotten gunshy from his loss to Dubois and comes out timid

andy isnt a particularly big puncher, the joshua fight flattered him. i think dubois has more shot for shot pop and he hit miller with everything and still couldnt put him down. if he does stop miller it would be an accumulation, not a blasting. he shouldnt have problems landing. does he have the work rate though? stoppage is a possibility with how easy to hit baby is, but id lean ruiz points as most likely outcome of the fight, then ruiz stoppage

also still give an outside but not unfathomable chance of miller points, if he can get that work rate going and andy is sluggish on top of his usual laziness

Ruiz isn’t a puncher, his disaplin is questionable, hasn’t fought in 2 years, , and hasn’t had a good performance for 5 years… I back him to beat miller who has had his own bad run, but if the odds are juicey enough I’ll bet on miller for some value.

gregregegg wrote: ↑26 Apr 2024, 04:11 Ruiz isn’t a puncher, his disaplin is questionable, hasn’t fought in 2 years, , and hasn’t had a good performance for 5 years… I back him to beat miller who has had his own bad run, but if the odds are juicey enough I’ll bet on miller for some value.

clever that.

gregregegg wrote: ↑26 Apr 2024, 04:11 Ruiz isn’t a puncher, his disaplin is questionable, hasn’t fought in 2 years, , and hasn’t had a good performance for 5 years… I back him to beat miller who has had his own bad run, but if the odds are juicey enough I’ll bet on miller for some value.

It's a shit-fight
Both need to be more active

I like miller in a mild upset

Jeff_lacy_ko wrote: ↑26 Apr 2024, 17:07 I like miller in a mild upset

Well Miller has been way more active.
Then again, from what I've seen of Andy last week, he isn't looking too bad.

we hear that before every fight and then he's still really fat