By Mark Eisner: Andy Ruiz Jr and Luis Ortiz square off in an important WBC Heavyweight title eliminator tonight on FOX Sports PPV at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, California. The card begins at 7:00 pm ET.
Former unified champion Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) has done a good job getting himself in top shape for this fight. He weighed in at 268 pounds on Friday and knows that he cannot afford to lose this fight against Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) if he wants to keep his dream of becoming a two-time heavyweight champion alive.
Boxing News 24 will provide live updates following tonight’s action.
Both Ruiz Jr and Ortiz are in a position where they cannot afford to lose tonight’s fight if they want a world title shot. For Ortiz, 43, his position is more serious because he is near the end of his career.
But even Ruiz can’t afford to lose because he only fights once a year and at this rate it could take five or six years to recover from another loss.
action tonight
Andy Ruiz Jr vs. Luis Ortiz Isaac Cruz vs. Eduardo Ramirez Abner Mares vs. Miguel Flores Jose Valenzuela vs. Edwin De Los Santos Ra’eese Aleem vs. Mike Plania Joey Spencer vs. Kevin Salgado Charles Martin vs. David Vargas
Obviously it would help if former IBF/WBA/WBO champion Ruiz was more active, but with a net worth of $10 million, he doesn’t have the same hunger that normal fighters do.
That’s why we likely won’t see Ruiz in the ring for 18 months after tonight’s fight because he’s enjoying the fruits of his labor.
‘The Destroyer’ Ruiz Jr had those two fights with Anthony Joshua, splitting a couple, and made a lot of money from them. From there, Ruiz was elevated to pay-per-view status, including for his fights against lesser opposition.
Ruiz’s last fight against Chris Arreola, 40, was shown on FOX Sports pay-per-view, and his fight tonight against Ortiz will also be on PPV.
For some, it’s hard for them to understand that an average heavyweight like Ruiz is a pay-per-view fighter, but it shows you what happens when you get lucky with a knockout against a sloppy fighter like Joshua.
In the co-main event, lightweight Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz will fight Eduardo Ramirez. Also on the card is former world champion Abner Mares taking on Miguel Flores and Jose Valenzuela battling Edward De Los Santos.
