By Kenneth Friedman: Dominic Breazeale is interested in knocking out former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. put himself in position to challenge for a world title.
The 6’7″ Breazeale (20-2, 18 KOs) says he’ll follow the same blueprint that Anthony Joshua created to defeat Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 KOs) last December. Breazeale wants to do a better job of defeating Ruiz Jr. than Joshua did by knocking him out.
2012 U.S Olympian Breazeale, 34, hasn’t fought in 11 months since losing to former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder by a 1st round knockout on May 18, 2019.
Wilder took Breazeale out with the first right hand that he threw in the fight, and he never gave him a chance. In 2016, IBF heavyweight champion Joshua stopped Breazeale in the 7th round of a one-sided affair.
Breazeale aiming to knockout Ruiz
“That’s the fight that fans want to see, me and Andy Ruiz,” Breazeale said to Sky Sports Boxing. “You get a big guy that can use his jab and move around the ring the way that Joshua was doing, a guy in Ruiz’s situation doesn’t stand a chance.
“That’s the same game plan that I would be taking into the approach of fighting Andy Ruiz. I’m probably going to go for the knockout at one point,” said Breazeale.
If Ruiz comes into the fight detached, fat and undertrained, Breazeale can beat him and finish his career. An unmotivated 280+ pound Ruiz Jr. will be at the mercy of big Dominic, and it would likely go badly for him.
Breazeale is a smart fighter, and he would focus on following Joshua’s blueprint to the letter to keep from getting clipped by Ruiz. However, if Breazeale gets greedy and goes for the knockout, even at a fat, Ruiz will stop him. By now, Breazeale should know that he doesn’t possess the chin to be slugging with his opponents.
Ruiz Jr. and Breazeale are both with Premier Boxing Champions, and that makes the fight an easier one to make. However, Breazeale isn’t ranked in the top 15 by any of the four sanctioning bodies, and Ruiz wouldn’t gain much facing him.
When Ruiz does come back, a better fit for him would be Adam Kownacki or Charles Martin. Those fighters are ranked in the top 15, and they haven’t stalled out their careers like Breazeale has.
Ruiz looking good on social media
The images that Ruiz has posted in the last couple of months of him on social media gives the impression that he’s taking his training seriously. It’s one thing for Ruiz Jr. to be posting photos and another thing for him to return to the ring and perform well.
The Ruiz that beat Joshua in their first fight and defeated Alexander Dimitrenko will have little problems with Breazeale. Ruiz’s fast hands, combination punching, and his strong chin will enable him to get the better of Breazeale. But if Ruiz fights in the same sluggish manner that he did against Joshua in their second fight, he’ll be at risk of losing.
For Ruiz Jr. to be taking a fight with Breazeale, it would be a strong indication that PBC isn’t taking any chances with him getting beaten again. Initially, the rumors were that Ruiz Jr. would come back against Luis Ortiz.
Lately, former two-time world title challenger Chris Arreola is being mentioned as a possible opponent for Ruiz. That would be a great comeback fight for Ruiz, considering it would show that he’s willing to take a risk with his career against an excellent B-level heavyweight.
Although the 39-year-old Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) has a lot of miles on him, he’d be a tough out for Ruiz jr. Arreola would give Ruiz Jr. real trouble just with his work-rate. In Arreola’s last fight against Adam Kownacki in August of last year, he threw over 1000 punches. If Arreola throws that many against Ruiz, it’s hard not to see him winning.
