By Steve Kim
This Saturday from the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Andy Ruiz faces Joseph Parker for the vacant WBO heavyweight title. Ruiz has had problems controlling his weight in the past has spent this training camp working with noted trainer Abel Sanchez at 'the Summit' in Big Bear, California.
Sanchez - who spent this past weekend in Russia where he lead Denis Shafikov and Murat Gassiev to victories - will meet his fighter in New Zealand on Tuesday and he believes Ruiz has put in the requisite work going into this contest.
"Physically, he's very prepared," said Sanchez on Sunday night as he landed back in Southern California.
"If you've seen some of the clips that they've been sending from over there, he was walking taller, he looks thinner, he might be only 255 by fight time. But he's so much more trim and solid but the mental part is the one that's difficult for both guys, though, just like Gassiev he had never been in that situation. So it's a matter of how believes in himself more than the other guy.
Like Ruiz (29-0, 19 KO's), Parker (21-0, 18 KO's) is also undefeated and Sanchez believes this is fight is a 50-50 proposition.
"Absolutely, I think this is the kind of fight that hopefully heavyweight fights will be patterned after because these are two guys that are going to hit each other," stated Sanchez.
"They're not going to wrestle, they're not going to hold, they're going to hit each other and they're going to hit each other for as long as the fight goes. Parker's a very good fighter but so is Andy."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com
