By Jake Donovan
A full house is expected for the vacant heavyweight title challenge between Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz, which takes place this Saturday at the Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
“There are less than 500 tickets remaining,” DUCO Events spokesman Craig Stanaway revealed in a recent update ahead of the vacant heavyweight title fight in which -with a winner declared – boxing history will be made.
Parker (21-0, 18KOs) aims to become the first-ever New Zealand-born boxer to capture a major heavyweight belt, while Ruiz (29-0, 19KOs) would be the first heavyweight of Mexican descent to turn the trick.
The event becoming a hot ticket is of no surprise as Parker has served as a sizeable draw, growing in popularity ever since turning pro in 2012. The Auckland-based boxer of Samoan descent - who turns 25 in January – first caught the attention of the boxing media in 2015 when impressing then-heavyweight kingpin Wladmir Klitschko during sparring sessions.
He’s taken care of the rest in the ring, having fought five times in each of the past three years. This past year has seen a significant transition from prospect on the rise to bona fide Top 10 contender, graduating with honors following a close but clear win over veteran Carlos Takam in May.
The bout guaranteed a crack at now-IBF titlist Anthony Joshua, but the decision was made to go in another direction once Tyson Fury was forced to relinquish his remaining alphabet hardware while he battles drug and alcohol addiction as well as potential mental health issues. The WBO title became available, with Parker - who has since added knockout wins over Solomom Haumono (August) and Alexander Dimitrenko (October) - and Ruiz the top available contenders to vie for the crown.
Ruiz’ advancement to the title stage hasn’t been quite as convincing, but enough to where the 27-year old heavyweight has finally taken control of his career. A gifted boxer and former amateur standout, his run in the pro ranks has been largely overshadowed by past difficulties to keep his weight down – ballooning as heavy as 290 lbs. in past prizefights and even heavier during down time.
Major changes were made in his camp, including his enlisting the services of noted cornerman Abel Sanchez, who, - through his work with unified middleweight titlist Gennady Golovkin, recently crowned cruiserweight titlist Murat Gassiev and resurgent lightweight contender Denis Shafikov – has emerged as a leading candidate for Trainer of the Year.
A win by Ruiz - who is coming off of a virtual shutout win over Franklin Lawrence this past September - would clinch such honors, but for now there at least exists proof of chemistry between the two. Ruiz has kept his weight down in his past few fights and arrived in New Zealand on Sunday looking healthy and combat-ready.
The rest will be decided in the ring, where he will face a hostile crowd of roughly 12,000 in attendance once the opening bell sounds.
The vacant heavyweight title will take place roughly 6:30pm ET, and – for stateside fans – will be replayed via same-day tape delay on HBO (9:35pm ET/PT).
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2
