Ruelas Tunes Up Against Alexander

With a title fight just over the horizon, Gabriel Ruelas has a 10-round tune-up tonight at the Olympic Auditorium against Paris Alexander, best known for being knocked out by Oscar De La Hoya in two rounds last year.

Ruelas (37-2, 20 knockouts), who was knocked down by Raul Hernandez in his last tune-up, is the No. 1 contender among World Boxing Council junior-lightweights and is due for a title fight against champion James Leija within 90 days.

Is the Ruelas camp worried that he might be looking past Alexander (16-8-3, three knockouts)?

“Every fight, you wonder if you’re going to throw a wrench in the gears,” said trainer Joe Goossen. “But we’ve got to fight guys like Paris Alexander to stay sharp.

“If you don’t fight, you’ll get rusty. If you do, you take your chances. But if you’re going to go ahead and fight, make sure you’re prepared.”

Also on the card, which starts at 7:30, Jeremy Williams (15-1, 12 KOs) will fight Andrew Strokes (14-11-1, seven KOs) in a 10-round heavyweight bout. It is Williams’ first fight since losing to Larry Donald last March.