Boxing Betting Tips: Andy Ruiz Jr vs Jarrell Miller
(Featured image: Alamy Images)
American heavyweights Andy Ruiz Jr and Jarrell Miller collide in a must-win fight in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The pair come together on the stacked undercard of Terence Crawford vs Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles, California.
Odds Now run you through the key points to consider when placing a bet on the fight this weekend.
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Jarrell Miller - Fight Details
When is the fight?
The fight takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time. The main undercard broadcast begins at 9:30pm UK time.
Where is the fight?
The BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, USA hosts the Riyadh Season-backed card. Terence Crawford headlines against WBA super-welterweight champion Israil Madrimov.
Betting Odds
Andy Ruiz Jr 1/3
Draw 20/1
Jarrell Miller 11/4
*Best UK prices as of 11AM 02/08/2024
Big Fight Analysis
Ruiz's inactivity since Anthony Joshua showdowns
The bout sees both fighters hoping to propel themselves into the heavyweight picture once again.
Andy Ruiz Jr will forever be remembered for his stunning upset of Anthony Joshua in June 2019. After initially finding himself on the canvas in the third round, the American-Mexican climbed to his feet and returned the favour to the Brit just seconds later. The turn of events spun the fight on his head and culminated in Ruiz handing Joshua his first professional defeat via a seventh-round stoppage.
The win saw Ruiz become the first ever Mexican heavyweight champion courtesy of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts now strapped around his waist. However, the lavishes which come with being a unified heavyweight champion led to Ruiz taking his eye off the ball.
He weighed-in a staggering 283lbs - over a stone more than the first fight, which he had taken on three weeks notice. A lacklustre performance followed and saw Ruiz surrender his unified titles in his first defence, confirming Joshua's status as a two-time heavyweight champion in the process.
Above: Ruiz' victory over Joshua in 2019 remains one of the biggest heavyweight upsets in recent times. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)
The 34-year-old has been crippled by inactivity since, fighting just twice since the second Joshua fight. The first of those bouts came in May 2021, where Ruiz was forced to pick himself off the canvas to eventually outpoint an unfancied Chris Arreola over 12 rounds.
He then returned to action 16 months later, dropping an ageing Luis Ortiz en route to a unanimous decision victory in Los Angeles.
While Ruiz rightly enters a strong favourite to win this weekend, questions remain over his motivations moving forward in his career. Is he serious about re-establishing himself as a top tier heavyweight, or is a fight with Miller another opportunity to land a big pay day?
Miller's career on the line in the City of Angels
Neither man can afford a loss on Saturday if they are to continue operating at the highest level of the heavyweight division. However, with his back already against the wall, Jarrell Miller knows another defeat could hammer the final nail in his career's coffin.
The American comes into the fight having suffered his first professional defeat last time out. Miller was halted in the tenth and final round by Britain's Daniel Dubois back in December in just his fourth fight in six years.
The 36-year-old was almost annexed from the sport after failing multiple drug tests ahead of a scheduled bout with the aforementioned Joshua in 2019. In fact, it was due to Miller's lawbreaking that Ruiz found himself standing across from Joshua on that fateful night after the Mexican was drafted in as a late replacement opponent.
Above: Miller was set to take on Joshua for his unified heavyweight titles before multiple failed drug tests forced the bout to be cancelled. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)
While the turn of events may have been the making of Ruiz, at least temporarily, they certainly crushed Miller and halted any momentum he had been building up until that point. He returned with two wins in 2022 before facing Lucas Browne in March 2023, winning via sixth-round stoppage, before a bout was setup against Dubois on the 'Day of Reckoning' card in Saudi Arabia.
The American typically talked a good game but was largely outfought on the night, much to the glee of those watching who felt Miller should never have been handed an opportunity on such a big card in the first place.
He now heads into Saturday knowing a consecutive defeat will likely see him off for good, hopefully making for an enthralling watch on an already stacked card at the BMO Stadium.
Odds Now's Best Bet
Neither man have convinced in recent showings, but Ruiz is clearly the better operator out of the two when he's at his best. He boasts the better wins and has also consistently fought at a higher level than Miller, who perhaps should be thankful he's still fighting at this level given his past transgressions.
One thing Miller did prove in the Dubois fight is his toughness. While he was eventually stopped by the Briton, referee Michael Alexander was forced to halt the action due to the accumulation of Dubois' work rather than damage caused by a single shot.
Ruiz operates in burst with his lightning hand-speed but he doesn't possess the same thudding power of Dubois which eventually put Miller away. Therefore, while we expect Ruiz to win this one relatively comfortably, we also anticipate the bout going the full distance.
Back Ruiz to get his hand raised on points.
Odds Now's Best Bet: Andy Ruiz Jr to win by Decision/Technical Decision @ Evens (General)