By: Sean Crose
Both Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller had a lot at stake when they stepped into the ring in Los Angeles on Saturday. Both men were considered unfit since 2019, and neither was younger. But both fighters are excellent, powerful fighters. If they had taken it seriously on Saturday, they could have put on a real show for the fans at BMO Stadium and at home watching on pay-per-view. And they did. The fight was scheduled to go 12 rounds.
The first round was slow until the end, when each man began to attack the other with ferocity. Ruiz may have beaten his man, but it was a tense episode nonetheless. Ruiz knocked Miller down in the second round, but it was Miller who landed the best shot—a right to the head of Ruiz. With that in mind, Ruiz knocked Miller down again in the third. Miller, however, attacked Ruiz’s body throughout the round.
Miller continued to use the body well in the fourth, but Ruiz was still able to use his hand speed and combinations well. Miller won the fifth round – perhaps his first win of the night. His body shots were clearly having an effect on Ruiz – and he even spooked him with a head shot as the bell rang. Miller continued to use his body in the sixth. Ruiz was still throwing punches, but he looked exhausted. Ruiz didn’t do badly in the seventh – but his punches lacked power, while Miller’s did.
Ruiz had the better of the eighth round, but Miller came alive in the final seconds. Ruiz landed better than Miller in the ninth, but Miller landed well late in the round. Miller threw more in the tenth, and likely won the round because of that fact. A boot late in the eleventh gave Miller the appearance of winning the round. Miller then went on to dominate the twelfth and final round.
The judges ruled the match a draw.
*As an aside, Ruiz showed the camera his clearly injured hand after the match ended.
