Believe it or not, boxing does exist outside of Jake Paul’s fantasy world where he handpicks opponents, beats said opponent, then goes on to think he’s the best fighter on the planet.  In fact, there are two massive heavyweight fights coming up on Saturday, each with implications for their respective divisions.  More importantly, there’s money to be made this weekend and all you have to do is follow along.

ANDY RUIZ JR. vs CHRIS ARREOLA – MAY 1 (FOX)

On June 1, 2019, the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua was scheduled to make his highly anticipated debut on American soil against Jarrell Miller. A few weeks prior to the bout, Miller tested positive for a banned substance, and a new opponent was needed for Anthony Joshua to showcase his skills on an international level.  Enter Andy Ruiz Jr.

Coming off an impressive win against Alexander Dimitrenko less than two months earlier, Ruiz Jr. was offered to fill in on short notice against the undefeated champion.  Nobody expected Ruiz to do anything spectacular, as the chubby 6’1, 268-pounder was listed as a +900 underdog.  This was supposed to be the Anthony Joshua show, knocking out Ruiz easily to introduce himself to the American fanbase.  Now there’s a reason why fights happen in the ring and not on paper.  Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the world that day, knocking down the once thought to be indestructible Joshua four times on route to a seventh-round knockout victory.

Following the biggest upset in boxing history since Buster Douglas defeated Mike Tyson, the newly-crowned champ admittedly lost his way.  Ruiz fell into the life of partying and fame, gaining weight and barely training for his rematch with Joshua.  That showed on December 7, 2019 when a 283-pound Ruiz (the heaviest he’s ever weighed in for a fight) lost a unanimous decision by a wide margin to Joshua. 

The saying “a minor setback paves the way for a major comeback” proves true in this situation.  Ruiz fell into depression after the loss, before lifting his head back up and working towards becoming the champion that the world knows he’s capable of becoming. Ruiz (33-2) slimmed down by 40 pounds and is now trained by Eddy Reynoso, who’s responsible for the careers of Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia to name a few.  Ruiz Jr. was always exceptionally fast for a big guy, with proven knockout power finishing 22 of his 33 wins by knockout.  Ruiz’s power, improved speed, plus newfound cardio and motivation makes this version of the former heavyweight champ a dangerous one - and his first victim is Chris Arreola.

The 40-year-old Arreola is no walk in the park, well at least he wasn’t in the past.  The 47-fight veteran (38-6-1-2NC) is a former three-time title challenger who has faced stiff competition throughout his career.  However, Arreola always seemed to come up short in his big fights, losing all three of those prior to the final bell, retiring in two of them.  What that tells me is when Arreola gets overwhelmed, he tends to give up which is exactly what I see happening in this bout.  At 40-years-old, I truly believe Arreola is out of his league here and so do the oddsmakers listing him as a +1000 underdog.   Ruiz should overwhelm Arreola to the point where either the ref or Arreola’s corner eventually stops the fight. It’ll take time for Ruiz to wear down Arreola, but eventually will break him, leading to a knockout in the later rounds.

Cody’s Pick:  Ruiz Jr. by knockout between rounds 7-12 (+175)

DEREK CHISORA vs JOSEPH PARKER - MAY 1 (DAZN)

In Manchester, England, another heavyweight class is set to take place between New Zealand native Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora.  Parker (28-2, 21 knockouts) defeated the aforementioned Ruiz in 2016 to win the Vacant WBO title via decision, before losing it to Joshua a couple bouts later.  Now, Parker seems to be following in the footsteps of Ruiz.  After a sluggish outing in February against Junior Fa where he squeaked out a decision victory, Parker knew changes had to be made in order to reach the pinnacle of the sport once again.  The former WBO champ left his long-time trainer Kevin Barry for former middleweight champion Andy Lee on the recommendation of the champ himself, Tyson Fury.  Like Ruiz, training and sparring with Fury under the tutelage of Lee has seemed to reinvigorate Parker, as lighting a fire under a man with all the boxing talent in the world is dangerous. Unlike Ruiz, Parker isn’t preparing for a showcase, but a war with journeyman Derek Chisora.

When people hear the word journeyman they tend to think of it in a negative context.  This is absolutely not the case for Chisora (32-10, 23 knockouts), who has gained a loyal following for his anywhere, anyone, anytime mentality. In his last bout, he took on the feared 18-0 Oleksandr Usyk as a +550 underdog. Chisora, knowing he would need a knockout to defeat Usyk, never backed down and came forward looking for the KO punch at all times. Chisora eventually tired, allowing Usyk to take over in the later rounds and win via unanimous decision despite a valiant effort from the 37-year-old veteran.

I believe Chisora (+137) will come in with the same game plan as he did against Usyk, as his clearest way to victory is to knockout the more technically sound boxer.  The problem here is that Parker has one heck of a chin on him, as he’s never been knocked out. On the other hand, although Parker has proven knockout power, I wouldn’t put my money on him winning in that fashion after his last outing, especially against a 42-fight veteran who has been stopped just three times.  All signs point to Parker getting the win by decision here, but still worth the bet to win outright at -188.

Cody’s Pick: Joseph Parker by decision (+162)