By Sevak Sarkisian

 Junior featherweight contender Diego De La Hoya (17-0 9KO’s) will be making his return to the ring on May 18th in Tucson Arizona at Casino Del sol.  He will be taking on former WBA International super bantamweight champion Erik Ruiz (16-6-1 6KO’s) who has some quality wins under his belt.  The bout will be televised live on ESPN2 and is part of the Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN series.  

Diego De LA Hoya is a former amateur standout from Mexico and is also the younger cousin of Hall of Fame fighter Oscar De LA Hoya. Diego, much like his cousin has the same killer and offensive mindset.  He has good hand speed and great punch selection to go along with his decent technique.  He is also athletic and can be light on his feet when he wants.  However, Diego seems to lack a little bit in punching power but he makes up for it with his usually high work rate and punch volume.  Diego has been brought along very well by his promoters and he has been staying active which is very important for a developing fighter.  His first major step up in class came last September against contender and veteran Luis Orlandito Del Valle who had a record of (22-2 16KO’s) at the time and came out with the unanimous decision win.  

Erik Ruiz on the other hand is a quality fighter who fights out of Oxnard California.  He has worked with Robert Garcia in the past and holds quality wins over Roy Tapia who was undefeated at the time and Hanzel Martinez for the WBA international title. He also lost a controversial decision to Manuel Avila and has gone the full distance with current WBO titlist Jesse Magdaleno.  Erik Ruiz is possibly the best opponent De La Hoya has fought yet in his professional career.  I expect a good exciting scrap on May 18th since both fighters have exciting styles and are hungry to prove a point!