The Two Mexican heavyweights gave their most complete version of themselves, the good, the bad and the wild as Arreola chastised the judges for bonker scorecards.
Andy Ruiz Jr won Saturday’s May 1st showdown via Unanimous Decision. While this editor had Ruiz winning 8 rounds out of the 12, Arreola scored a knockdown in the 2nd. There was also very definitive work during the 3rd where Ruiz was stunned by the same straight right hand. Our score was 116-111 in the score cards for Ruiz, not the ridicolous 118 to 109 two judges had for Arreola. Even the scorecard we have does not tell the entire story. Cris was dangerous for 4 rounds, while also still having the potential to time Ruiz for the last 8 rounds.
Regardless of the official scorecards, the fanbase for both fighters would likely enjoy the PPV once more and numbers, social media have established an appetite for a rematch.
Arreola Drops Andy Ruiz Jr With Great Timing
The second and third round saw evidence of Andy Ruiz Jr’s ring rust and oveconfidence. While coming forward, Ruiz was rocked and dropped by a straight right hand from Arreola during the second round of their fight. Again, in the 3rd round another right connected and appeared to hurt Ruiz. Timing was key as Ruiz went straight forward, missing and Arreola was able to capitalize off that mistake. His jab was consistent throughout the fight, most notably in the first half of the fight.
The new training camp. The weight loss, the new mentality may have led to an overconfident Ruiz. Arreola may be 40 years old, but his camp with legendary Joe Goosen proved that he could once more be inspired enough to drop any former champion or champion. Conditioning, technique and experience proved more valuable for the faster, possibly more powerful Andy Ruiz Jr.
Ruiz vs Arreola HIGHLIGHTS: May 1, 2021 – PBC on FOX PPV – YouTube
Eventually, Ruiz Jr’s faster handspeed and three punch combinations consistently landed on Arreola who was grimacing from bodyshots and punches to his shoulder. Ruiz Jr. may have anticipated a cautious Arreola. As a result, he began targeting his defensive posture and may have hurt Arreola to the shoulder (of all places) by the 8th round.
Post-Fight Interviews
As mentioned, the wide (too wide) margins led to Arreola to call foul. Belligerent and colorful, he advised that the judges should ‘Suck My D*ck‘ since the cards were so overwhelmingly in favor of Andy Ruiz Jr despite his early knockdown and control of the fight.
For his part, Eddy Reynoso commented on Andy Ruiz Jr having shown the newfound discipline. He remarked that Andy was able to define
ANDY RUIZ VS. CHRIS ARREOLA FULL POST-FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE – YouTube
Fans Fight
The undercard also featured bonus fan fights, with members of the audience brawling at different points and time of the event. There are countless videos of the incident, no security present but also no serious injuries at the Dignity Health Park Stadium.