‘Bad hombre’ up for gun-slingers duel

JOSEPH Parker certainly has a fight on his hands, with Andy Ruiz’s camp oozing confidence as they intensify preparations for the WBO heavyweight title fight.

The clash in New Zealand was sanctioned by the organisation on Friday for a December 10 date in Auckland.

The two fighters are in the United States burying themselves into training for their shot at history – Parker to be the first New Zealand-born heavyweight champion and Ruiz the first Mexican.

Parker broke Duco Events’ strange stance of silence as they sort out the fine-print of the massive promotion by tweeting yesterday: ‘‘Big things coming . . . can’t wait.’’

But Ruiz’s world class handlers are happily talking up their 27-year-old unbeaten fighter.

‘‘It should be a great fight but I think Andy prevails. His hand speed should be greater than Parker’s and it should be a decision for Andy,’’ Ruiz’s trainer Abel Sanchez told Boxing scene.com as the fight was confirmed.

‘‘This is Andy’s toughest fight and this is Joseph’s toughest fight. They have sparred together in Vegas so they kind of know each other. It is a matter of Andy just paying attention and doing what we ask him and he will be in great shape. His skill set – he’s already tested it against Parker so he shouldn’t have a hard time.’’

Sanchez, who also oversees world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, has Ruiz in Big Bear, California, an altitude base used by star boxers like Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Tito Ortiz.

Sanchez acknowledges the need to get Ruiz, who often struggles to be in condition for fights, in top shape and believes the training setting and the motivation of the world title will see his fighter achieve that.

Former Olympian Ruiz debuted as a pro in 2009 at a massive 135kg though he entered the ring at 114kg last month which will be a target weight for Auckland. Time is tight with just seven weeks until the fight.

With both fighters quick and packing plenty of power, this looms as a battle of the gunslingers with the quickest on the draw likely to win by knockout. But Sanchez is determined to have Ruiz still firing shots in the latter rounds if the fight goes deep into the scheduled 12 rounds.

‘‘If he is in condition, his hand speed will go from round one to round 12. Unfortunately for Andy, he hasn’t been in the type of condition that a world class fighter needs to be in and he will do great the first four, five, six rounds and then he fizzles out. His hand speed goes because he gets tired. He gets winded so he’s not moving his hands like should,’’ Sanchez said.

‘‘We hope that in the time we have him here that we are able to change that so that his hand speed is efficient throughout the fight.’’

Ruiz’s promoter, Bob Arum, knows how to talk up a fight and even brought the American presidential election to the promotion, playing on Donald Trump’s antiMexican sentiments.

‘‘The fastest hands in the west,’’ Arum said of Ruiz in an interview with USA Today. ‘‘That’s who Donald Trump was thinking about when he said bad hombre.’’

Arum jumped at the chance to set up this clever deal with Duco Events, made possible by Tyson Fury vacating the WBO and WBA belts.

He has no issue with handing home advantage to Parker, confident that his team have made the right call taking this unexpected short-cut to the title.

‘‘It would be great, particularly to have the first Mexican heavyweight champion in history, you know how huge that would be in Mexico?

‘‘The president [Enrique Pena Nieto] would ban Trump from the country.’’