UniMas Quick Pick

Andy Ruiz vs. Sergei Liakhovich: At first glance Andy Ruiz (23-0, 17 KO) doesn't seem like much of an athlete.  That is until you actually see how skilled he is inside a boxing ring.  Ruiz is 25 years old and is looked at as a top quality prospect, as long as he doesn't get too overweight.  This Saturday night on UniMas, Ruiz will be in the ring against tough veteran Sergei Liakhovich (26-6, 16 KO) in a fight scheduled to go 10 rounds in the heavyweight division.  In recent years Liakhovich has been used as a tough stepping stone for top prospects such as Bryant Jennings and Deontay Wilder and now it will be Ruiz's turn to try his hand at the veteran.  Ruiz may look sloppy psychically but he is very polished as a boxer.  Ruiz is an orthodox boxer who has surprisingly fast hands and a very good jab.  He doesn't move particularly well in the ring but his head movement makes for good subtle defense.  Offensively Ruiz has a very nice overhand right and a heavy left hook.  Although Ruiz isn't looked at as a one punch knockout type fighter he does have the ability to break an opponent down over the course of a fight.  As for Liakhovich he is really just an opponent in this fight.  He has six career losses and five have come by the way of knockout so look for Ruiz to really put the pressure on.  Liakhovich is also an orthodox fighter and he uses a busy jab to frustrate opponents.  While Liakhovich doesn't have a tremendous amount of power he does throw a heavy overhand right and a pretty solid left hook.  The problem for Liakhovich is his terrible defense and weak chin.  Ruiz will be the faster, more skilled fighter on Saturday and that will allow him to break Liakhovich down on his way to a 6th round stoppage.