Ruiz, Montes de Oca Set For Crossroads Bout On Telemundo

By Jake Donovan

Carlos Ruiz and Joel Montes de Oca are set for their Telemundo-televised headliner Friday evening at Auditorio Blackberry in Mexico City, Mexico.

Both boxers made weight for a scheduled 10-round regional super featherweight title fight that represents a two-way must-win scenario. Ruiz came in right at the divisional limit of 130 lbs., while Montes de Oca was slightly lighter at 129 lbs.

Ruiz (14-2, 5KOs) has suffered both career losses in the span of his last three fights, but is also a round or two from still being unbeaten. The 22-year old local boxer came up just short in decision losses to countryman Francisco Rojo and - most recently - former two-division champ Hozumi Hasegawa.

Sandwiched in between the pair of heartbreaking setbacks is a quality win over Raul Centeno last September on the road in Argentina.

Montes de Oca (18-5, 10KOs) - also from Mexico City - has dropped each of his last two starts. He remains best known for his knockout loss to Yuriorkis Gamboa in Nov. '14, five months after the former featherweight titlist came up short in a thriller with Terence Crawford.

FULL WEIGHTS

Carlos Ruiz, 130 lbs. vs. Joel Montes de Oca, 129 lbs. - 10 rds, super featherweight
Hugo Warneros 111 lbs. vs. Juan Hernandez 114 lbs. - 8 rds, flyweight
Gabriel Perez 135 lbs. vs. Jerson Aguilar 133 lbs. - 6 rds, lightweight
Ricardo Banuelos 153 vs. Juan Lopez 153 lbs. - 6 rds, super welterweight
Miguel Luna 105 lbs. vs. Alejandro Cruz 105 lbs. - 4 rds, strawweight
Martin Jimenez 117 lbs. vs. Eric Cruz 117 lbs. - 4 rds, bantamweight

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox