The first two weeks of May will be jam-packed for boxing fans. In addition to the traditional Canelo Alvarez fight for Cinco de Mayo, we will see two major cards highlighted by bouts between a former heavyweight champion and a title challenger. Joseph Parker will face Dereck Chisora in the first promotion on May 1, while Andy Ruiz Jr. will fight Chris Arreola in a promotion that night. Ruiz (33-2 with 22 knockouts) is a substantial favorite against Arreola (38-6-1 with 33 knockouts).
This card will be available via FOX PPV. The broadcast will start at 9 p.m. ET, and Ruiz and Arreola are expected to step into the ring at about midnight on the East Coast.
When: Saturday, May 1, 2021
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California
Why: Heavyweight contenders bout
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Chris Arreola Betting Odds
Andy Ruiz Jr. -2093
Chris Arreola +980
Ruiz is a heavy favorite according to the boxing betting odds. The former heavyweight champion has only lost to champions in his professional career, while Arreola has yet to hold a major title. At this price, a $2,093 bet on Ruiz would return $100. A $100 bet on Arreola to pull off the upset would lead to a $980 profit if he were to do the improbable.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Chris Arreola Preview
Ruiz is a heavyweight in the mold of old fighters. He isn’t ripped and doesn’t have a toned body, but he packs a punch and has some of the quickest hands you will see in the sport. That combination has helped him catch opponents by surprise.
It took a long time for Ruiz to get a legitimate title shot. That likely had to do with his physique, as he ran his record to 29-0 before finally earning a major title fight. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well for him as he lost a majority decision to Joseph Parker.
We saw Ruiz win three straight fights to earn another title shot against undisputed heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in June 2019. Joshua was seen as a heavyweight that would rule the weight class for a decade, and Ruiz was a fill-in for Jarrell Miller after Miller failed multiple drug tests. Ruiz was a heavy underdog against Joshua, but he ended up pulling off the biggest upset since Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson.
Ruiz sent Joshua to the canvas twice in the third round and twice in the seventh round before the referee stopped the fight. He became the first Mexican-American boxer to win a heavyweight title, and there were immediate discussions about a rematch with Joshua. The second fight took place in December 2019 in Saudi Arabia, and Joshua controlled the action this time to win back his titles.
Few observers believe that Chris Arreola has a chance of knocking off Ruiz. Dillian Whyte has been vocal in his criticism of the bout, and there are others that feel similar as Arreola has four wins, four losses, a draw, and a no contest in his last 10 bouts.
Arreola was 27-0 before he suffered a 10th round TKO loss to Vitali Klitschko in his first title challenge. He earned a second title fight against Bermane Stiverne in May 2014, but he lost by 6th round TKO. Somehow, he received a third title fight after going 1-1 with a no contest after the Stiverne bout, and he was stopped in the 8th round by Deontay Wilder.
The underdog won two straight fights after the loss to Wilder, but he was handled by Adam Kownacki in his last fight 20 months ago. Arreola is now 40 years old, and there is a very good chance this is his last major event.
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