Pick It: TBRB #3 Andy Ruiz vs. #7 Luis Ortiz (Sunday, Fox PPV, 8:00 PM EST)
During the 1990s, there was so much action at heavyweight that pay-per-view became the home for an assortment of fights that added to the era without involving names like Holyfield and Tyson. Classics like Michael Moorer-Bert Cooper and Tommy Morrison-Razor Ruddock cost a little extra. This show feels like a throwback to those clashes.
32-year old former unified titlist Andy Ruiz (34-2, 22 KO) ends a layoff of more than a year since rising from the floor to best Chris Arreola. 43-year old Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 KO) makes his second start on pay-per-view this year after a stoppage for former titlist Charles Martin in January. Ortiz came off the floor twice in that win. Throw in lightweight Issac Cruz and a returning former three-division titlist Abner Mares on the undercard and this could be a fun show. Fox proper will have preliminary action at 8 PM EST concurrent with the pay-per-view pre-show.
Additional Shows to Watch For
Saturday - #9 Smith vs. Mwakinyo (FiteTV, 10:00 AM EST)
34-year old former WBO Jr. middleweight titlist Liam Smith (31-3-1, 18 KO) will try to make it three wins in a row on his home turf in Liverpool. 27-year old Hassan Mwakinyo (20-2, 14 KO) has won ten straight, including a stoppage of former unified Jr. welterweight titlist Julius Indongo in his last start.
Saturday - Bell vs. Polanco (FiteTV, 7:00 PM EST)
Jr. lightweight action takes center stage in this main event. 29-year old Albert Bell (21-0, 6 KO) is a rangy, long talent who has yet to lose as a professional. 32-year old Nicolas Polanco (20-2-1, 11 KO) is 1-1-1 in his last three starts and enters off a defeat but he’s never been stopped.
Saturday - World Champion Estrada vs. Cortes (DAZN, 8:00 PM EST)
In terms of alphabet straps, 32-year old Jr. bantamweight kingpin Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 KO) is down to just his WBC ‘franchise’ strap. It doesn’t matter. He remains the lineal champion and returns from over a year away from the ring with an expected rubber match with Roman Gonzalez just a fight away. COVID canceled the fight earlier this year. Can 27-year old Argi Cortes (23-2-2, 10 KO) cancel it and further a dramatic shakeup at Jr. bantamweight in 2022? If not, Estrada remains one of the world’s best over the last decade and is always a pleasure to watch.
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
