By Jim Maltzman: Chris Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KO) reports that the discussions are going well for a fight against Andy Ruiz Jr (33-2, 22 KOs). Arreola is ranked #7 with the WBA, and victory over #4 would move him up the rankings. Chris has already challenged for world titles three times in his 17-year professional career, and he’d like another shot.
There will be a lot of interest from boxing fans in the Ruiz vs. Arreola fight, but this could be a mismatch. Ruiz, 31, is a lot younger than Arreola, and he has a lot of facets to his game.
Arreola could get a big payday in challenging IBF/WBA/WBO champion Anthony Joshua if he’s still champion by next year. Ruiz has got other ideas.
Andy views the 39-year-old Arreola as a warm-up fight to get him in a position to take on one of the elite contenders like Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz.
Two wins might be all it takes for Ruiz Jr to get another crack at a world title.
Andy Jr wants a trilogy fight with Joshua
Admittingly, Ruiz Jr came into his last fight against Anthony Joshua in poor condition on December 7, and he lost a 12 round decision. In addition to losing the battle, Ruiz lost his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts, which he had won last summer on June 1 in defeating Joshua.
Ruiz’s dream is to get a third bout against Joshua, and he’s already tried asking him for it. That didn’t work. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn sent a message to Ruiz through the media, telling him if he wants a trilogy fight, he would need to get a couple of solid wins over top tier heavyweights first.
It’s unclear whether Hearn will count Arreola as being a talented fighter. He’s kind of long in the tooth, and he was coming off of a loss to Adam Kownacki in 2019. Hearn will probably want Ruiz to beat two top-five heavyweights in addition to beating Arreola.
If Ruiz can come into the third fight with Joshua in superb condition, he could right the wrongs from their rematch last December in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
When in shape, Ruiz has the tools to beat Joshua. Having Reynoso for Ruiz’s trainer will help him come up with a good game plan to deal with Joshua’s maneuverability.
Joshua will use movement and a lot of holding to keep Ruiz’s offense in check. It worked for Joshua last time, so he’s going to probably employ the same game plan as last time they fought. If Reynoso can’t teach Ruiz Jr how to deal with Joshua’s tactics, then he’ll come out the loser again, which is what most boxing fans envision happening.
Arreola says Ruiz fight looking good
“They are looking fairly good. Looking very good. I’m actually very excited about that fight,” said Arreola to skysports.com “I think that’s the only fight that looks promising for myself. Yes, actually there’s been a couple of talks.
“If that fight doesn’t come around, then you know, I’m okay with staying at home. I think the boxing fans will love a boxing fight with two Mexican heavyweights that are going at it.”
Arreola looked weak in his loss to Kownacki last August at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Although Arreola did throw 1125 punches, which broke the CompuBox record for a heavyweight, his shots had nothing on them.
Arreola was reaching out and connecting with arm punches, and he didn’t have the power that he once possessed earlier in his career. At 244, Arreola looked thin and weak at the weight compared to the bigger 266-pound Kownacki.
Ruiz Jr will be a big favorite against Arreola due to his power, size, and hand speed advantage. Perhaps the only way Ruiz loses this fight is if he comes into it overweight.
With the pressure that Ruiz had put on himself to train hard by hiring Eddy Reynoso as his new coach, he’s going to come into his next fight in top shape. Ruiz won’t want to humiliate himself in front of Reynoso and the other top fighters that he trains.
Arreola has extensive experience during his career fighting against the likes of Vitali Klitschko, Bermane Stiverne and Deontay Wilder. The problem is, Arreola lost to all of those guys.
Chris with the experience advantage
Each time he stepped up a level against talented A-level heavyweights, Arreola was soundly beaten. In some of the defeats, Arreola’s weight was an issue for him. But in other losses, he simply couldn’t handle the power of his opponents.
The mileage that Arreola has on his body negates the positive that would come from his experience in the game. Arreola has been around for a long time, and he’s not the same guy he was when he challenged Vitali Klitschko back in 2009. Most of the heavyweights back then are no longer fighting, and yet Arreola is still hanging on by a thread.
Arreola talked of retiring, but it’s hard for him to walk away from the sport given his popularity. Arreola can still make good money in boxing that he probably won’t see once he retires. So while he still has a chance, it makes sense for him to grab a good-paying fight against the likes of Ruiz Jr if he can get it.
A victory for Arreola over Ruiz would be a massive shock to the world, and it catapults him in position for a title shot. It would be a Rocky Balboa story for Arreola to beat a young guy like Ruiz.
Andy Ruiz will have these advantages over Arreola
- Hand speed
- Power
- Size
- Youth
- Pedigree
- Less mileage
What Arreola has going for him is a high work rate. As we saw in the Kownacki fight, Arreola is capable of throwing a ton of punches. That’s not something that Ruiz Jr will be able to match. However, Ruiz’s superior power and his combination punching are going to put him in an excellent position to win rounds, and potentially score a knockout. It’ll take a significant accumulation of blows from Ruiz to knockout the war-tested Arreola.