Luis Collazo vs Angel Ruiz Astorga Preview April 19th, 2023
Veteran welterweight Luis Collazo of Brooklyn, New York will be returning to the ring for the first time in 20 months when he faced Angel Ruiz Astorga of Mexico this Wednesday, April 19th. The 10-round battle between the southpaws from Plant City, Florida can be seen live on ProBox Tv as well as on their YouTube and Facebook channels. Collazo was last in the ring in August, 2021 when he went to a four-round no-decision with Eimantas Stanionis after suffering an injury from an accidental clash of heads. Astorga last boxed in June when he battled to an eight-round draw with Jesus Najera.
Collazo vs Ruiz Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Luis Collazo +110
- Angel Ruiz Astorga -140
My Pick
The 41-year-old Collazo is 39-8 with 20 Ko’s to his name and will definitely have some ring rust since this is just his sixth fight since 2015. He’s a solid veteran and former WBA world champion (2005) who can’t be taken lightly even though he’s in the twilight of his career. He also has plenty of experience against top boxers such as Keith Thurman, Ricky Hatton, Victor Ortiz, Andre Berto, Amir Khan and Shane Mosley.
He lost unanimous decisions to Khan, Berto, Mosley and Hatton while he stopped Ortiz. He was stopped himself by Edwin Cassiani in 2002 and by Thurman in 2015 and lost a 10-round technical decision to Kudratillo Abdukakhorov in 2019. His other defeat was a 10-round unanimous decision to Freddy Hernandez in 2011. Collazo owns a solid chin though as Thurman was the first man to stop him in 12 years.
Collazo can be an exciting fighter and is quite durable but doesn’t have the power needed to stop elite boxers. He’s a good southpaw who likes to land the lead right hook whenever he gets the chance. He can’t afford to leave himself open when attacking though or he’ll be tattooed with a quick barrage of punches. Collazo has 296 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2000 following a short amateur career and his knockout ratio currently stands at 41.7 per cent. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall and has a 72-inch reach.
Ruiz Astorga is just 25 years old and boxes out of Los Angeles. He makes his ring walk with a record of 17-2-1 with 12 Ko’s and has boxed 70 rounds since making his pro debut in 2015 as a teenager. He’s an inch taller than Collazo at 5-feet-10-inches and also has an inch reach advantage with his 73-inch wingspan. As far as power is concerned, he has a current knockout ratio of 60 per cent. Ruiz Astorga is winless in his last two fights with a draw and loss and has lost two of his last three.
His first defeat came at the hands of Javier Flores-Benejan via a second-round stoppage in 2019 and he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Giovani Santillan in October, 2021. His biggest win has been over Bobirzhan Mominov and has also beaten the likes of Miguel Zamudio and Jonathan Fortuna so will be taking a leap up in class on Wednesday.
Prediction…
I’m not sure if this is being fought at the 147 lb welterweight division, but Ruiz Astorga weighed in at close to 157 lbs in his last fight. Collazo has been a solid pro throughout his career and has plenty of experience but at the age of 41, I don’t know if he’ll have enough left in the tank to beat a young up-and-comer who’s 16 years younger than him. Common sense would probably say no, but I expect Collazo to give it everything he has like he usually does and I think he may just pull out a close win or draw here.
Collazo’s best days are behind him but he’s determined to end his career on a high note.
Play: Collazo +110 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Angel Ruiz Astorga betting • Luis Collazo betting