By Edward Chaykovsky
Kevin Barry, who trains heavyweight contender Joseph Parker (21-0, 18KOs), believes Andy Ruiz's aggressive style is a very good fit for his boxer.
Parker and Ruiz (29-0, 19KOs) will collide for the vacant WBO heavyweight title on December 10th Aukland, New Zealand. There is a possibility of Parker-Ruiz moving to the United States.
An agreement has been reached between both sides and the boxers have signed on, but Duco Events boss Dean Lonergan is having some trouble getting funding from the government to stage the event in New Zealand.
Ruiz is much different than Parker's last opponent, the giant sized Alexander Dimitrenko, who was demolished in three rounds. Dimitrenko is very tall, very slow and doesn't have the greatest chin.
Ruiz is not the tallest heavyweight, has a good chin, a lot of punching power and very fast hands for a heavyweight.
Parker and Ruiz are familiar with each other. They sparred in the past and Parker admits to getting rocked on the jaw from a very hard power shot.
Barry is not overlooking Ruiz and won't be deceived by his chubby frame.
"When we look at the options and the way they have presented themselves, I like the style of Andy Ruiz for Joe. I have a lot of respect for Andy. I know that he is a very skillful fighter, a former Olympian, and is undefeated as a pro. His looks are very very deceptive ... he has very fast hands and good power to match.
"He's a fighter that we will prepare very well for but his particular size and his come-forward style are two things I really like for Joe. So as a coach, I like the matchup."
Barry says there is plenty of time to prepare for the contest and he's confident his boxer will be fully ready. Tyson Fury's mental issues and unexpected decision to vacate the WBA, WBO, IBO world titles was something nobody saw coming.
"We have got plenty of time [to get ready]. We are not panicking or anything like that," Barry said. "No one could really see this Tyson Fury stuff coming. It's really sad. Depression is serious and I hope Tyson Fury will have the help he needs now to overcome this problem and get his excellent career back on track. But this big setback for him has been a huge plus and advantage for us and our team is doing its best to capitalize on that."