Mace Ruegg vs Liam Dillon Predictions: Will late replacement trouble warrior Dillon?

Liam Dillon continues his rebuild as he takes on replacement Mace Ruegg this Saturday, March 1. The bout takes place on the undercard of Ryan Garner vs Salvador Jimenez at the Bournemouth International Centre. DAZN will broadcast the fight card live.

Here are my Ruegg vs Dillon predictions ahead of this intriguing contest.

Mace Ruegg vs Liam Dillon Odds

Ruegg and Dillon are on completely even footing here, with both priced at 10/11 for their respective victories. A draw in this close fight is marketed at 14/1.

Mace Ruegg vs Liam Dillon Fight Preview

Ruegg steps in for Archie Sharp, who withdrew from the fight last week. The card is robbed of a nice bit of symmetry, considering both Sharp and Dillon have suffered defeats to main eventer Garner. But this make-up fight between Dillon and Ruegg is a very solid replacement and offers plenty of intrigue.

Dillon finds himself fighting a different kind of battle now. While Sharp was a stronger opponent, Ruegg is both unbeaten and a local lad. This fight takes place in his backyard of Bournemouth meaning he is likely to have the backing of the baying crowd. That can make a difference on nights like this.

Dillon’s 2024 was a bit of a disaster. He entered the year with the British super featherweight title around his waist and by the time Auld Lang Syne sounded in December, he was belt-less and had gone 1-2. At the risk of someone spitting their drink out if they misread this, it really was an annus horribilis.

First came Dillon’s title unification against Reece Belotti for the British and Commonwealth titles. The fight was a 12-round war at The Indigo at the O2, as the pair stood ring-centre for much of the night. Dillon emerged with plenty of credit but his Lonsdale belt was gone when the three scores went correctly in Belotti’s favour.

Dillon bravely, but perhaps foolishly, took on the considerable challenge of Garner next. You have to applaud the ambition in squaring up to the unbeaten ‘Piranha’ off the back of such a brutal fight and defeat. 

As you can glean from the fact Garner is in the main event on Saturday while Dillon is on the undercard, it did not go well. Dillon lost another unanimous decision, albeit in another phenomenal fight. The action was thrilling, but once again Dillon found himself on the wrong end of the judges.

You could absolutely forgive Dillon for ending a year of warfare and disappointment with a six-rounder against journeyman Stefan Vincent. A points victory got the Londoner back into the winning habit and now he steps back into a spotlight fight once again.

Ruegg should be applauded for taking this. Dillon might have those recent losses but he never puts up less than a titanic effort. Those defeats came in utter wars, something Ruegg hasn’t had to really experience yet. His 12-0 record has been forged against journeyman foes, which is no criticism. 

Ruegg is just at a different part of his pugilistic journey than Dillon. The fact the Bournemouth boy has taken this fight on proves his lack of big name opposition is from following the traditional learning curve, rather than shirking a challenge.

This is some challenge for a fighter who has never scored a knockout and is fighting above the six round distance for the first time. I heartily applaud Ruegg’s guts here. Chances are, he will probably learn more in the ring with Dillon than he has in his previous 12 fights combined. But it could end up being a particularly harsh lesson.

Mace Ruegg vs Liam Dillon Full Card

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Mace Ruegg vs Liam Dillon Prediction

I don’t think the buoyant Bournemouth support will be enough here. Dillon knows too much and has overcome too much for Ruegg.

Power is often a great equaliser in fights like this, but Ruegg has little. Dillon is open and can catch a shot but he is also durable. Nothing Ruegg throws at him will knock him off his game.

I’m going for Dillon to overwhelm the underdog and get the win at 10/11.

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