Yoenli Hernandez looks to make most of opportunity on Benavidez-Morrell undercard

Cuba’s Yoenli Hernandez is looking to continue his winning streak in America when he faces Angel Ruiz on February 1.

After four consecutive wins, Hernandez, 27, thinks the time is right for him to showcase his talent at the biggest stage of his career. That stage would be on the undercard of David Benavidez and David Morrell’s light heavyweight clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas – where Hernandez’s middleweight contest versus Ruiz is expected to open the prelims leading up to the PBC pay-per-view event on Prime Video.

Hernandez, 6-0 (6 KOs), is keen on making the most of that opportunity.

“I’m very thankful for this great opportunity to showcase my skills on the big stage on this great card with my Cuban brother David Morrell Jnr headlining,” said Hernandez. “I’m working hard in the gym every day to be at my best and show the world why I’m the future of the middleweight division.”

Originally from Camaguey, Cuba and now fighting out of Miami, Hernandez turned pro in May 2022 with a pair of stoppage victories on his way to earning his WBA top rated ranking. The 27-year-old returned last year with four US fights, including a stoppage of veteran Alejandro Barrera last June and a TKO over the previously unbeaten Bryce Henry in October.

On the other hand, the 27-year-old Ruiz, 18-3-1, (13 KOs) has two wins in his last seven bouts, including a decision defeat to Francisco Veron last April and a no contest against Darrelle Valsaint seven months later. A native of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico who now fights out of Los Angeles, Ruiz made a successful US debut in 2017 and has gone on to compete stateside in nine of his last 10 bouts.“I’m very motivated by this opportunity to compete and display my talent on such a great card with so many of the best fighters in boxing,” noted Ruiz. “Everyone who’s seen me in the ring knows that my fights are never boring, and I’ll be aiming to bring fans non-stop action once again on February 1.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].