Avila Perspective, Chap. 132: Andy Ruiz Meets Chris Arreola

Published

4 years ago

April 23, 2021

Avila Perspective, Chap. 132: Andy Ruiz Meets Chris Arreola

Back in 2009 the city of Tijuana was under siege by rival cartels battling it out on the streets. Dead bodies were everywhere and tourism was equally dead.

A heavily sponsored boxing card featuring Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was arranged as a means to entice the American tourist. Even boxing journalists feared entering the war zone. When the promoters tossed in free hotel and restaurant accommodations, a few writers and photographers accepted the offer.

Because of the dangerous environment the boxing card was placed at the Plaza de Toros by the beach. A few thousand people showed up at the sandy bull ring eager to see Chavez fight Argentina’s Luciano Cuello in a super welterweight main event.

Fighters walked out of the tunnel into the boxing ring placed in the middle of the arena. If I recall correctly, mariachi music played for everyone entering the arena. The very first fighter to enter was a pudgy looking character with a smiling face. His name was announced as Andy Ruiz.

My first impression was he seemed out of shape. Ruiz weighed about 297 pounds. But when the second fighter Miguel Ramirez emerged, he was in even worse shape. He weighed more than 330 pounds and looked like someone grabbed him out of one of the nearby restaurants.

As soon as the first bell rang Ruiz shot out these incredible combinations. Poor Ramirez never saw what hit him and down he went in a mere 34 seconds. Though it was a very quick knockout, in all my years involved in boxing I had never seen a Mexican heavyweight with that kind of hand speed. Never.

After the fights ended, we headed to our hotel located in the heart of downtown Tijuana. We walked across the boulevard to an Argentine restaurant. The streets were empty except for the occasional jeeps occupied by three federales and a large-mounted machine gun. We ate our food quickly and got out of there.

During our dinner Ruiz entered our conversation. He stood out with those quick hands. One of the reporters joked that he looked like the Pillsbury dough boy. He did. But this dough boy could whack.

More than a year would pass when I saw Ruiz again on a boxing card at the Honda Center in Anaheim. As soon as he walked out of the tunnel into the arena area, I spotted the familiar physique and recognized him immediately. I received a text from a fellow journalist who asked if I recognized him too. We both knew what to expect – a quick knockout.

Facing Ruiz was a guy named Francisco Diaz who lived in the nearby City of Orange. He never saw what hit him. The fight lasted 1:08 and our photographer got the photo. Ruiz had dropped down to 262 pounds for this fight. He was lightning fast.

After the fights a few of us journalists gathered at one of the nearby restaurants in Anaheim. We had to talk about Ruiz and those fast hands. It was obvious to us that he had something special. Though he had fast hands he was also a heavyweight. All heavyweights can hit. The big question: can he take a punch?

Indian Willie’s Gym

In 2010, Chris Arreola was preparing for a fight at Willie Schunke’s gym in Riverside, California. The bout was going to be held at nearby Citizen’s Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

The gym was located in the backyard of a hillside home built by Schunke. Everyone, including himself, called him “Indian Willie.” You walked down a long 50-yard winding driveway in the backyard to reach the large gym. That backyard had one of the most spectacular vistas of the Jurupa Valley and faced west.

Inside the gym a number of people were already gathered when I arrived. Two veteran journalists were among those waiting for Arreola to finish having his hands wrapped. One of the journalists was Bill O’Neill who went by the name “Old Billie.” He started covering boxing during the 60s and 70s and was a personal friend of Jerry Quarry and Mike Quarry. The other journalist was Rodney Cruz Hunt who worked for CBS and KHJ sports as a video reporter.

We all knew each other well and sat around waiting for training and sparring to commence. In walked a couple of men including little-known Andy Ruiz. I immediately recognized him as the heavyweight I watched fight in the Tijuana bull ring a couple of years earlier.

The other reporters did not know him, but I informed them quickly of his “fast hands” as Ruiz began warming up to spar Arreola.

Henry Ramirez, then the trainer of Arreola and Josesito Lopez, walked up to us and told us a little more about Ruiz. He felt Ruiz was the correct size and dimensions of Arreola’s next foe. Few heavyweights can match Ruiz’s hand speed.

Everyone inside the hillside gym was slightly amazed when the punches flew. The two heavyweights sparred and it was obvious that Ruiz was going to be better than Arreola’s actual scheduled opponent. It didn’t seem like Ruiz had any other gear except 100 mph. Arreola started slowly and realized he was in a fight, not a sparring session. We all sat amazed at what we were seeing that evening. We whispered to each other that Ruiz could do damage in the heavyweight division, if he could take a punch from the big boys.

It wasn’t a long sparring session. I remember it being too much of a war for them to continue. After the sparring Arreola spoke to us about Ruiz and in typical Chris fashion said “I was getting my ass kicked so I had to step it up. That boy’s quick.”

One sad afternote: Willie “Indian” Schunke, Bill O’Neill and Rodney Cruz Hunt have all passed away since then. They would have delighted in this showdown between Ruiz and Arreola. Rest in peace my friends.

(Next week Arreola’s trek)

Fights to Watch

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (32-1) vs Christopher Diaz (26-2); Edgar Berlanga (16-0) vs Demond Nicholson (23-3-1).

Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing Channel

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

David A. Avila

Up Next

Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne: From the Penthouse Suite to the Basement

Don't Miss

The Hauser Report: Some Thoughts on Boxing

Results from the Chumash Casino where Akhmedov Gave a GGG-like Performance

Published

7 hours ago

December 13, 2024

David A. Avila

Results-from-the-Chumash-Casino-where-Akhmedov-Gave-a-GGG-like-Performance

Shades of Triple G.

Kazakhstan has another middleweight killer as Sadriddin Akhmedov overran veteran Raphael Igbokwe to win by knockout on Friday evening.

“He’s a tough guy, but I’m a tough guy too,” said Akhmedov of his Texas foe.

Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) excited the crowd at Chumash Casino with a strong performance against a gritty Igbokwe (17-6, 7 Kos). The Kazakh fighter has Gennady Golovkin’s old trainer Abel Sanchez at his side.

It was evident in the first round that Akhmedov wields power, but it was also evident that Igbokwe was not going to quit. Blow after blow was absorbed by the Texas-trained fighter and he continued to press forward.

Akhmedov telegraphed his overhand rights but fired quick and accurate left hooks. Igbokwe withstood the power for round after round.

At the end of the fifth round both fighters continued to fire punches after the bell rang. It angered the two middleweights.

Akhmedov must have still been angry when the sixth round began as he erupted with a 12-punch barrage. Several big blows connected and the Texas fighter was in trouble. Though Igbokwe escaped the first barrage he was unable to avoid the second and the fight was stopped by referee Rudy Barragan at 56 seconds of the sixth round.

The Kazakhstan fighter thanked his fan support and his new trainer Sanchez.

“Every morning at 7 a.m. he wants to kill me,” Akhmedov said of Sanchez.

Other Bouts

A battle between Olympians saw Carlos Balderas (15-2, 13 KOs) knock out Cesar Villarraga (11-11-1) in the sixth round for the win at super lightweight.

A one-two combination found the mark for Balderas at 56 seconds of the sixth round. Villarraga beat the count but once the fight resumed the referee stopped the fight after Balderas connected with another right.

“My coaches told me it was there,” said Balderas of the right cross that finished the fight.

Balderas fought for Team USA in the Olympics and Villarraga for Team Colombia.

Super welterweights Jorge Maravillo (10-0-1, 8 KOs) and Damoni Cato-Cain (8-1-2) fought to a split draw after eight back-and- forth rounds.

Cain-Cato sprinted ahead for the first three rounds behind subtle pressure and focusing on the body then the head against the taller Maravillo. Then, it stopped.

Maravillo stopped retreating and used his long stiff left jabs as a probe and counter punch and became the stalker instead of the prey. It turned the fight around. But Cain-Cato was reluctant to give up too much territory and fought through a damaged left eye to keep the match tight. After eight rounds one judge saw Maravillo the winner, another saw Cato-Cain, and a third saw it even for a split draw.

It was a fitting score.

Angel Carrillo (4-0-1) out-pointed Joshua Torres (0-2-2) with combination punching and in-and-out maneuvers to win by decision. Though 14 years younger, Carrillo wore a protector near his chest. Twice he placed it far above his belly button and was never warned.

Fidencio Hernandez (3-0) was the more polished fighter and used straighter punches and a tighter defense to shut out Laguna Beach’s Josaphat Navarro (1-3-1) and won by unanimous decision.

In her pro debut Perla Bazaldua (1-0) won by knockout over Mollie Backowski (0-4) in a super flyweight contest. Bazaldua fights out of Los Angeles and has long been touted as a one of that city’s best amateur prospects. Now she is a pro.

Photo credit: Lina Baker / 360 Promotions

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More

Published

19 hours ago

December 13, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 308: SoCal Rivals Rocha and Curiel Rumble and More

Decades ago, battles between regional warriors were as common as freeway traffic in Los Angeles during rush hour.

Bobby Chacon repped San Fernando Valley, Mando Ramos came from the docks of San Pedro, Danny “Little Red” Lopez lived in Alhambra and Ruben “Maravilla Kid” Navarro hailed from East L.A. And they rumbled repeatedly with each other.

The boxing sphere in California has grown much larger despite the closure of boxing palaces such as the Olympic Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Great Western Forum, the L.A. Coliseum and Wrigley Field.

Those were classic venues.

Today in the 21^st century boxing continues to grow.

Golden Boy Promotions presents SoCal regional rivals Santa Ana’s Alexis Rocha (25-2, 16 KOs) facing Hollywood’s Raul Curiel (15-0,13 KOs) in a welterweight clash on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. DAZN will stream the main card and YouTube.com the remainder.

Ontario is located in the Inland Empire known as the I.E.

Rocha, 27, has grown into a crowd favorite with a crowd-pleasing style developed by Orange County boxing trainer Hector Lopez. I remember his pro debut at Belasco Theater in downtown L.A. He obliterated his foe in three rounds and the small venue erupted with applause.

Wherever Rocha goes to fight, his fans follow.

“Anyone I face is trying to take food away from my family,” said Rocha.

Curiel, 29, has traveled a different road. As a former Mexican Olympian he took the slower road toward adapting to the professional style. Freddie Roach has refined the Mexican fighter’s style and so far, he remains unbeaten with a 10-fight knockout streak.

“I want to fight the best in the division,” said Curiel who is originally from Guadalajara.

Super welter hitters

Another top-notch fighter on the card is super welterweight Charles Conwell from Cleveland, Ohio. Conwell (20-0, 15 KOs) faces Argentina’s undefeated Gerardo Vergara (20-0, 13 KOs) in the co-main event.

Conwell may be the best kept secret in boxing and has been dominating foes for the past several years. He has solid defense, good power and is very strong for this weight class. Very Strong.

“I got to go out there and dominate,” said Conwell. “This is a fight that can lead me to a world championship fight.”

Golden Boy Promotions got lucky in picking up this fighter who could compete with any super welterweight out there. Anyone.

Vergara, 30, is another Argentine product and if you know anything about that South American country, they groom strong fighters with power. Think Marcos Maidana. This will be his first true test.

“I really hope he (Conwell) backs what he is saying,” said Vergara.

Marlen Esparza vs Arely Mucino

Former flyweight world titlists finally meet, but at super flyweight.

Olympic bronze medalist Marlen Esparza fights Mexico’s Arely Mucino in a fight that should have taken place years ago. Both are both coming off losses in title fights.

Esparza has the “fast hands” as she said and Mucino the “aggressive style” as she mentioned at the press conference on Thursday in Ontario.

It’s a 10-round affair and could mark the end for the loser.

Friday Night Fights

Undefeated middleweight Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0, 12 KOs) headlines a 360 Promotions and faces Raphael Igbokwe (17-5, 7 KOs) in the main event on Friday, Dec. 13, at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif. UFC Fight Pass will stream the event.

Akhmedov hails from Kazakhstan and if you remember legendary Gennady “Triple G” Golovkin also hails from that region. Tom Loeffler the head of 360 Promotions worked with GGG too among other legends.

Is Akhmedov the real deal?

Former American Olympian Carlos Balderas (14-2) is also on the card and fights veteran Cesar Villarraga (11-10-1) who has been known to upset favorites in the past.

Fights to Watch

Fri. UFC Fight Pass 7 p.m. Sadridden Akhmedov (14-0) vs Raphael Igbokwe (17-5).

Sat. DAZN 10:30 a.m. Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1) vs Ricardo Espinoza (30-4).

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Alexis Rocha (25-2) vs Raul Curiel (15-0); Charles Conwell (20-0) vs Gerardo Vergara (20-0); Marlen Esparza (14-2) vs Arely Mucino (32-4-2).

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City

Published

2 days ago

December 11, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Cardoso-Nunez-and-Agitsuki-Bring-Home-the-Bacon-in-Plant-City

Cardoso, Nunez, and Akitsugi Bring Home the Bacon in Plant City

The final ShoBox event of 2025 played out tonight at the company’s regular staging ground in Plant City, Florida. When the smoke cleared, the “A-side” fighters in the featured bouts were 3-0 in step-up fights vs. battle-tested veterans, two of whom were former world title challengers. However, the victors in none of the three fights, with the arguable exception of lanky bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi, made any great gain in public esteem.

In the main event, a lightweight affair, Jonhatan Cardoso, a 25-year-old Brazilian, earned a hard-fought, 10-round unanimous decision over Los Mochis, Mexico southpaw Eduardo Ramirez. The decision would have been acceptable to most neutral observers if it had been deemed a draw, but the Brazilian won by scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice.

Cardoso, now 18-1 (15), had the crowd in his corner., This was his fourth straight appearance in Plant City. Ramirez, disadvantaged by being the smaller man with a shorter reach, declined to 28-5-3.

Co-Feature

In a 10-round featherweight fight that had no indelible moments, Luis Reynaldo Nunez advanced to 20-0 (13) with a workmanlike 10-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Leonardo Baez. The judges had it 99-91 and 98-92 twice.

Nunez, from the Dominican Republic, is an economical fighter who fights behind a tight guard. Reputedly 85-5 as an amateur, he is managed by Sampson Lewkowicz who handles David Benavidez among others and trained by Bob Santos. Baez (22-5) was returning to the ring after a two-year hiatus.

Also

In a contest slated for “10,” ever-improving bantamweight Katsuma Akitsugi improved to 12-0 (3 KOs) with a sixth-round stoppage of Filipino import Aston Palicte (28-7-1). Akitsugi caught Palicte against the ropes and unleashed a flurry of punches climaxed by a right hook. Palicte went down and was unable to beat the count. The official time was 1:07 of round six.

This was the third straight win by stoppage for Akitsugi, a 27-year-old southpaw who trains at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card gym in LA under Roach’s assistant Eddie Hernandez. Palicte, who had been out of the ring for 16 months, is a former two-time world title challenger at superflyweight (115).

To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!