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Leo Santa Cruz vs Jesus Ruiz Preview and Prediction

By Ian S Palmer

Undefeated WBC Junior Featherweight Champion Leo Santa Cruz of Mexico will be defending his crown for the fourth time this Saturday, January 17th when he takes on fellow countryman Jesus Ruiz. The fight takes place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and can be seen live on Showtime in America s well as on BoxNation in the UK. Santa Cruz is a former world bantamweight titleholder who moved up in weight after three defences of the belt. Ruiz isn’t known as a top contender, but he’s riding a two-year unbeaten string with five straight victories.

The 26-year-old Santa Cruz enters the ring with a record of 28-0-1 along with 16 Kos. His last contest was a second-round stoppage over Manuel Roman last September. The 25-year-old Ruiz has a mark of 33-5-5 with 22 Kos to his name. Ruiz is a typical tough Mexican boxer and realizes he’s taking a huge step up in class, but believes he still has a chance to cause an upset. He told the media, “I know many believe I have no chance, but I am well prepared and ready to give my all. I am ready for war and ready to leave it all in the ring like a true Mexican warrior.”

Santa Cruz said he’s not taking Ruiz lightly as that would be a huge mistake. He plans on fighting in his usual fan-friendly exciting style, which means he’ll throw punches in bunches against Ruiz and will pressure him relentlessly. Santa Cruz’s stoppage wins usually come via an accumulation of punches rather than one-shot knockouts. The champion stands 5-feet-7-inches tall and has a 69-inch reach while Ruiz is basically the same size. Ruiz turned pro in 2006 and last fought in November and has now gone 244 rounds as a pro. He’s fought some decent boxers so far during his career, but nobody who could be considered a top-ranked contender. He’s been stopped twice, back in 2008 and again in 2011.

Santa Cruz turned pro in 2006 as well and has 157 rounds under his belt. He’s beaten some world-class opponents, but is hoping to fight some bigger names in the future. However, he needs to concentrate on the task at hand first and make sure he doesn’t take the foot off the gas against Ruiz.
Prediction

This is a fight that Santa Cruz has to win to earn himself some big paydays down the road. However, he might have his hands full against Ruiz, at least for a few rounds. His opponent is slightly younger and actually has more pro experience, but Santa Cruz has had the energy, skills and just enough power to stop everybody he’s faced up to now. There’s no reason to believe Ruiz will be the first to beat him, so look for Santa Cruz to retain the title by decision or late stoppage.

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