Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola – May 1, 2021

It’s time to reveal my predictions and pick for Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola.

This heavy, heavyweight bout is like an early Cinco De Mayo gift for fans. It features two Mexican-Americans with genuine designs on taking over the division. One fighter has a more realistic chance of doing that.

But all of that goes out the window when these two step into the ring this Saturday, May 1, from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. And ahead of the fight, I’ll be covering the odds for Ruiz vs. Arreola, as well as providing the very best bets you can place on the fight this weekend.

Let’s get this preview kicked off with my take on who wins between Andy Ruiz and Chris Arreola.

To be completely honest, my prediction for Ruiz vs. Arreola was always going to be the former champ.

But having seen the shape he is in ahead of this fight has made me confident that he will get the stoppage. He’s been training like a demon with Canelo Alvarez

This fight goes down almost two years to the month that Ruiz butchered Anthony Joshua to win the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles. And as I will explain a little later, I fancy the “Destroyer” to pick up a similarly convincing victory this Saturday. 

First, let’s check out the betting line for Ruiz vs. Arreola.

MyBookie makes Ruiz a sizeable favorite over Arreola.

Ruiz is certainly not running out of time in the game, but the same cannot be said about the dog in this fight.

As it happens, Arreola once trained with a 15-year-old Ruiz at the height of his powers. That was 16 years ago when he was 24 years old. Now being 40, there is little left in the game for “The Nightmare.” A heavy loss to Ruiz might just convince him to move on.

The odds for Ruiz to beat Arreola are not exactly appealing here. Who is going to risk $2380 to win just $100? Sure, if you’re backing Arreola to win, a successful $100 bet will make you a profit of $1210. But I don’t see how he wins this one.

It’s time to get a bit creative and see what bets stand out most in this fight. 

The first of my best bets for Ruiz vs. Arreola is Ruiz by KO/TKO/DQ. 

Arreola doesn’t exactly have a glass chin, but I’m confident that Ruiz can subject him to the fourth knockout loss of his career. Only Deontay Wilder, Bermane Stiverne, and Vitali Klitschko have stopped Arreola before. But Ruiz’s speed, pressure, and accuracy can change that.

I believe the fight will end under 6.5 rounds. The betting odds for Ruiz to finish his man inside by then are very attractive for that purpose. 

If you’re looking for big money, take Ruiz to win in Round 5.

I’m not going to go too deep into explaining why Ruiz will beat Arreola this Saturday.

Put simply, Ruiz is in tremendous shape and is primed to take advantage of his new weight. He has put the depression of losing to Joshua in the rematch and looks as motivated as he ever has been. He had incredible hand speed for a tubby heavyweight but will benefit so much from moving more seamlessly, having dropped 50 pounds in the run-up to this bout. 

More than this, Ruiz is the younger man by nine years. He has shown incredible dedication in this camp and will be much sharper for working closer with Canelo and Eddy Reynoso.

No disrespect to Arreola. He will also come in lighter and sharp, but he won’t last the pace that Ruiz will set in the first half of this bout.

Once again, my prediction for Ruiz vs. Arreola is a Round 5 KO/TKO for Destroyer.

This weekend is an absolute mega one for boxing. 

So, if you’re looking to win money on boxing matches, make sure to check out our boxing picks section.

We will be covering all the major fights scheduled for the weekend, including Matchroom’s huge card that features fights such as Parker vs. Chisora, Bivol vs. Richards, and Katie Taylor’s scrap with Natasha Jonas.

I will also be providing picks for Conlan vs. Baluta and Mthalane vs. Edwards. So don’t miss out!

Good luck with your bets!