Andy Ruiz vs. Tor Hamer
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
Gabriel Rivas, Contributing Writer
Both fighters are smart and have amateur backgrounds. However, I believe that Ruiz will a walk away with the decision. Ruiz is a tough Mexican fighter and once he begins to impose his will, Hamer will begin to crumble. His response to a better fighter in Vyacheslav Glazkov—a fight in which he quit after the fourth round—illustrates that although he is very intelligent, he has problems with adversity. Instead of sticking through and risking injury, he took the smart route and quit. It shows a lot about his intelligence, but not so much about his fighting spirit.
Prediction: Ruiz
Gabriel Polanco, Contributing Writer
Andy Ruiz is a perfect example of “you should not judge a book by its cover.” He is a chubby, dough faced, goofy looking kid. That being said, his hand speed rivals most in his division and his potential is through the ceiling. He hammers Tor Hamer easily, padding his schedule through an easy night.
Prediction: Ruiz
Juan Carlos Burgos, Contributing Writer
Both fighters have decent amateur credentials and look to make the jump to contender status. Andy Ruiz is the bigger man and should use that to his advantage. Tor Hamer must avoid getting backed up by the bigger man as he doesn’t respond well to constant pressure as was the case in his loss to Vyacheslav Glazkov when he quit on his stool. Ruiz will be able to apply enough pressure to earn the victory.
Prediction: Ruiz
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Most people see Andy Ruiz and dismiss him as a punching bag. Although his flabby physique can fool you, he has an impressive amateur background and is trained by Freddie Roach. Ruiz does have some skills–including a decent jab–but I think that if Hamer can dig deep and weather the early storm from Ruiz, he can have some success in the later rounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if Hamer pulls the minor upset, but I’m going with Ruiz by mid-rounds stoppage.
Prediction: Ruiz
