Andy Ruiz Jr vs Jarrell Miller: Prediction and Tips
Andy Ruiz Jr makes his return to action on Saturday night after nearly two years out of the ring when he takes on Jarrell Miller.
This heavyweight clash takes place on the undercard of the WBA super-welterweight world title fight between Israil Madrimov and Terence Crawford at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) is a former world champion after stunning the boxing world with a victory over Anthony Joshua back in 2019 but his reign didn’t last long as he lost the rematch.
Victory over Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) would put Ruiz firmly back on a path towards another shot at a world belt, but he faces a tough assignment against a durable opponent who only has one defeat on his record.
Andy Ruiz Jr vs Jarrell Miller Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Fight to go the distance no at 33/20
Tip 2 - Andy Ruiz Jr to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification at 12/5
Tip 3 - Andy Ruiz Jr to win in rounds 9-10 at 21/2
Tip 1 – Fight to go the distance no at 33/20
The expectation here is that the judges will be required to decide a winner in this 10-round contest but the odds-against price on a stoppage looks the standout bet.
Ruiz is the justifiable favourite and has a reasonable knockout rate of just under 63% – with 22 of his 35 wins coming inside the distance.
The former WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion has been inactive for a long time but has looked sharp in his workouts ahead of his return and will be looking to make a statement against Miller in his comeback bout – and the best way to do that is by forcing a stoppage.
This option also covers an upset win and if Miller is to triumph he will probably need an early finish. Ruiz is definitely the more skilled of the two fighters and he outpointed another master technician in the shape of Luis Ortiz in his last outing in 2022.
Miller carries enough power to trouble any opponent, with 22 of his 26 wins coming via knockout, and he was stopped himself in the one loss on his CV.
Tip 2 – Andy Ruiz Jr to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification at 12/5
As we touched on earlier, Ruiz is the better all-round fighter and looks the more likely victor so backing him to win by KO, TKO or disqualification at 12/5 looks a strong play in his comeback bout.
Ruiz is one of just two men to beat AJ and he is the only fighter to have a stoppage win over the British heavyweight.
Somewhat incredibly, the 34-year-old has only fought three times since that stunning win five years ago – and one of those bouts was the rematch – but he has made no secret of his desire to get back to challenging for world titles in the near future and an emphatic win over a high standard of opponent like Miller would push him closer to that goal.
Miller suffered a first defeat in his last outing as he was stopped in the 10th round by Daniel Dubois.
Dubois has now gone on to become the IBF champion, a title vacated by Oleksandr Usyk, and will defend that belt against Joshua in London this year.
The challenge for Ruiz is to better Dubois’ result against Miller as that would give him a legitimate reason to start calling out the other belt holders (currently Dubois and Usyk). The best way to do that is an eye-catching stoppage rather than a dominant points win.
Tip 3 – Andy Ruiz Jr to win in rounds 9-10 at 21/2
In the heavyweight landscape, Ruiz isn’t a huge puncher and his knockouts tend to come from well placed shots rather than devastating power.
Miller managed to cope with Dubois, who does have that raw power, for 10 rounds and very nearly reached the final bell.
As such, if Ruiz is to claim a KO he may have to bide his time and backing him to finish the job in the final two rounds after wearing Miller down could be the best approach for round betting.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation