By Ian S Palmer
It’s a slow time for boxing this week as one of the better matchups is between two past-their-prime heavyweights in Kevin Jonson and Andy Ruiz. They will be meeting in a 10-round bout in Fresno, California this weekend in a card which is being shown in the U.S. On ESPN and ESPN Deportes. However, it’s not confirmed if this fight will be a part of the broadcast. Johnson last fought in March when he was stopped by Peter Milas in the eighth round while Ruiz was also in the ring in March when he stopped Devin Vargas in the first round.
The 38-year-old Kevin Johnson of Asbury Park, New Jersey climbs into the ring with a record of 32-9-1 along with 16 Kos. He was also beaten by Tor Hamer in the final of the Prizefighter tournament in 2012 and then dropped a lacklustre 12-round decision to Britain’s Tyson Fury later the same year. He’s also been beaten by Christian Hammer, Dereck Chisora, Manuel Charr, Anthony Joshua, Kubrat Pulev and Vitali Klitschko while fighting in Europe. In fact all nine of Johnson’s pro losses have been on the other side of the Atlantic.
Johnson’s been stopped twice in his career, by Milas in March and by Joshua in the second round of their contest in May of 2015. It’s safe to say Johnson’s best days are behind him and he’s now used as a ‘name’ opponent. While Johnson is usually in decent physical shape he’s not always ready to fight and can go 12 rounds without throwing much leather at all. He’s a good defensive boxer, but has to throw punches to win. The likeable and friendly Johnson has a pretty good chin despite the two knockout losses and that’s one of his strongest points.
Vitali Klitschko shut him out over 12 rounds in a title fight in 2009 as Johnson was worrying too much about defense. He didn’t learn his lesson though as he fought the same way against Fury in 2012 and lost by a wide decision. Johnson stands 6-feet-3-inches tall with an 82-inch reach and has plenty of experience with 264 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2003. He needs to utilize his jab and keep Ruiz at bay here because Johnson doesn’t have much in the way of power with a current knockout percentage of just 38 per cent. Basically, Johnson needs to show up to fight not just to last the distance.
The 28-year-old Ruiz hails from Imperial, California and has a mark of 30-1 with 20 Kos. His loss was a 12-round majority decision for the vacant WBO World Heavyweight Championship against Joseph Parker in December, 2016. Ruiz was formerly the NABF Heavyweight Champion. He’s an intelligent boxer in the ring and possesses an effective jab, which he uses to set up his power shots. His best weapons are the left hook and overhand right and he’s been able to stop 12 of his past 17 opponents. There’s no doubt he has pretty good power and his current knockout ratio stands at 65 per cent.
Ruiz has 129 rounds in the bank since turning pro in 2009 and has beaten the likes of Siarhei Liakhovich, Joe Hanks, Tor Hamer, Ray Austin, Josh Gormley, Franklin Lawrence and Carl Davis. He’s the smaller man here at 6-foot-2 with a 74-inch reach. He won the NABA Title and the WBO Inter Continental Heavyweight crown when he stopped Manuel Quezada in the second round in May, 2014. The knock against Ruiz is that he doesn’t always come into the ring in the best of shape. He was 260 lbs in his last fight, but that’s not bad considering he tipped the scales at 297 lbs. in his pro debut.
Prediction…
The outcome of this bout could be determined by the condition and weight of Ruiz Jr. He’s got good boxing skills for a big man, but so does Johnson. Ruiz gives up quite a bit in reach, but has more power than Johnson. You never know what to expect with Johnson as some nights he looks unbeatable and other times he’s a shadow of himself. Johnson has fought the tougher opponents, but he’s 10 years older than Ruiz and I think his time has come and gone. I’m expecting Ruiz to take this bout.
