On paper, it wasn’t supposed to end this way. Argentinian journeyman Elias Haedo shocked the boxing world by scoring a first-round knockout over previously unbeaten junior welterweight Leonardo Ruiz in a fight scheduled for 10 rounds in Mexico.
The upset unfolded at the Sala Urbana Venue in Mexico on a card promoted by Miura Boxing and streamed on ESPN+.
Haedo, 26, entered the ring coming to win. Ruiz, 25, who trains out of Robert Garcia’s Boxing Academy in Riverside, California, came in with high expectations. Garcia, who also manages Ruiz, was absent from his corner, as he was in Phoenix coaching fighters on a Top Rank card scheduled for tomorrow.
Ruiz started strong, blending patient forward pressure with defensive movement going backward. Working behind an effective jab, as Ruiz found early success.
Ruiz moved to land a left hook to the body in the middle of the first round, Haedo timed a probing jab to close the distance and unleashed a crushing right hand, beating Ruiz to the punch and sending him crashing to the canvas.
Ruiz sat briefly on his back before beating the count but stumbled upon rising, prompting the referee to wave off the contest. The time of the stoppage was not announced in English, as the crowd was stunned and silent from what they had seen.
Haedo, now 16-6 (12 KOs), notched the most significant win of his career, extending his win streak to two. Ruiz drops to 15-1 (8 KOs).
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