Andy Ruiz vs. Franklin Lawrence: The fights on HBO won't be the only boxing action on Saturday night. UniMas will also air a card headlined by heavyweight prospect Andy Ruiz (28-0, 19 KO). Ruiz will take on Franklin Lawrence (21-2-2, 16 KO) in a 10-round bout from the heavyweight division. A few years ago it looked liked Ruiz was ready to break through prospect status and challenge top heavyweights. However, that never happened and recently Ruiz has been relegated to fighting past their prime veterans. Ruiz is Mexican-American which means he has two built in fan bases and he is also a heavyweight with skills. The kids has the intangibles to become a star but he needs to step up his level of competition and also be careful not to eat himself out of the sport. Ruiz is an orthodox fighter with good hand speed for a heavyweight. He fights behind a quick jab and will often bring a piston like straight right hand behind it. Along with those weapons Ruiz also has a very good left hook and always does a nice job of pounding the body. At the age of 40 Lawrence, who is an orthodox fighter, is 13 years older than Ruiz and the best fighter he has faced was Bermane Stiverne very early in his career. From the outside Lawrence doesn't do much of anything because his jab and straight right hand aren't great weapons. On the inside he will connect with a solid left hook but he tires quickly and often spends long periods of time initiating clinches. This fight should be all Ruiz and if he doesn't dominate it his career could take another hit he can't afford to take. The chances of that happening though are slim and Ruiz is going to cruise in this fight on his way to a wide unanimous decision victory.
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