Former unified world heavyweight champion Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. scored three knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision victory over top contender Luis “King Kong” Ortiz in their WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator headlined by a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View Sunday night from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“Everyone doubted me, but I worked very hard for this fight,” Ruiz said. “Ortiz is a hard-hitting warrior. He did a beautiful job boxing him. I showed more class than I usually do.”
The first boxer of Mexican descent to become world heavyweight champion, Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) brought his hometown crowd to their feet early as he delivered a clean right hand to score his first knockdown in the second round. Ortiz (33-3, 28 KOs) would hit the canvas for the second time in the round, but got back on his feet and delivered several hard left hands to stay in the fight and get through the round.
“I told you I was going to be a warrior and that’s what I did,” Ortiz said. “This is Cuba vs. Mexico. This is what I live for. war today There are always surprises in boxing, and that’s what you have if you didn’t think I would give it my all.”
Ortiz bounced back into the fight in the later rounds with impressive boxing as he relied on his jab and movement to keep Ruiz from inflicting more damage. However, in the seventh round, Ruiz struck again, backing up his opponent with a straight right hand before moving in and dropping Ortiz with an overhand right.
“It was a tough fight,” Ruiz said. “I was waiting for him to charge up and counter him when he did. It was a blessing that we were able to succeed.”
Although Ruiz kept going, Ortiz again used his excellent boxing acumen to stay in the fight. Ortiz even owned a slight 78-76 advantage in punches landed according to CompuBox, but it was Ruiz’s 67 power punches to Ortiz’s 56 that made the difference. After hurting Ortiz again in round 11 and winning the round on all three scorecards, Ruiz was able to hold off a late attack from Ortiz to win the fight on judges scorecards 114-111 twice and 113-112.
After the fight, Ruiz expressed his willingness to reunite with former WBC World Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder in a possible blockbuster showdown, if Wilder is successful in his return to the ring on October 15 against Robert Helenius at FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View. Wilder, who was sitting ringside, agreed with Ruiz’s enthusiasm for the potential matchup.
“If Deontay wins in October, he and I are with the same management and we can make this fight happen,” Ruiz Jr. said. “Let’s do it. Let’s move on. I’m hungry and I want to be champion again and bring that belt back to Mexico.” .
“Deontay Wilder is back and I’m always looking for great exciting fights for the fans,” Wilder said. “If Andy Ruiz Jr. is next, then I’m ready to go.”
In the co-main event, top lightweight contender Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) delivered a standout knockout of veteran contender Eduardo Ramirez (27-3-3, 12 KOs) in the second round. . of their confrontation.
Already a fan favorite after giving three-division world champion Gervonta Davis all he could handle in loss at this very arena last December, Mexico City’s Cruz entered the ring with high approval as he looked for another win. .
“I was ready to win at all costs, for my family and what better way to win than here in front of all the great fans in Los Angeles,” Cruz said.
Midway through the second round, Davis displayed the fight-changing power he possesses that has helped make him a fan favorite in Los Angeles and beyond. Cruz first connected flush with a big left hook around a Ramirez jab that sent Ramirez hard to the canvas.
While Ramirez was able to get to his feet, Cruz pushed forward, sensing his moment to end the fight. Using a feint right hand, Ramirez caught Cruz clean with another left hook and followed up with a powerful right hand to score a second knockdown. This time, referee Jack Reiss immediately stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:27 of the round.
“I lost and I have to accept that,” Ramirez said. “I will get better and move on. I felt like I was fighting well and then everything suddenly changed. That’s just boxing. Now I’m going to rest, recover and plan my next moves in the future. But I will definitely come back, you can count on that.”
In his post-fight interview with FOX Sports’ Heidi Androl, Cruz stated his intention to rematch WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, who was sitting ringside.
“We want the rematch with Gervonta Davis,” Cruz said. “That’s what these fans want. I promised the knockout tonight and we did it.”
In his first fight in over four years, former three-division world champion Abner Mares (31-3-2, 15 KOs) faced Miguel Flores (25-4-1, 12 KOs) to a thrilling majority draw after 10 rounds in their lightweight matchup.
Mares got off to a strong start on his return to the ring, landing a series of sharp right hands early in the second round that brought his Southern California hometown crowd to their feet as their hometown hero landed 42 in-frame punches. Bantamweight, super bantamweight and featherweight world champion throughout his career, Mares believed he had done enough to win the fight.
“Obviously it had been more than four years, so it was a little bit out of time and a little bit slow,” Mares said. “But I felt good and I thought I was landing the most powerful punches every time.”
Although Mares had a 151 to 124 advantage in landed punches, the two fighters were even 90 to 90 in landed punches during rounds three through 10. His improvement in the second half of the fight was enough for victory in the eyes of Mares. Flowers.
“It was a good fight and obviously I thought I got it done,” Flores said. “I know we’re in his hometown and he’s a veteran, so that’s who he is. he was catching most of it. He caught me with a couple of good shots early on, but I felt like he was in control after the fourth round.”
Flores had his best rounds in the last two frames, sweeping the ninth and tenth in all three cards to clinch the tie. The raucous 10th round left fans on their feet with both fighters raising their hands in victory before scores were read out 95-95 twice and 96-94 for Mares.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Flores said. “It’s hard not to let the crowd get the best of you. I know they were cheering me on at the end as well. This puts me in a great position. We got a draw against a world champion in three divisions, so it leaves a good taste in your mouth.” “.
“After four years, I did enough to beat a kid and an active fighter,” Mares said. “My performance speaks for itself. The crowd was happy and it felt good to be home. I definitely felt like I won, but it is what it is, the judges saw it as a draw.”
In the first pay-per-view match, Edwin De Los Santos (15-1, 14 KOs) of the Dominican Republic scored an upset third-round TKO when he dropped previously unbeaten Jose Valenzuela (12-1, 8 KOs) ) three times. before referee Ray Corona called off the fight 1:08 into the round.
“Valenzuela is a fighter that I feel has been protected and I wanted to show everyone what I am capable of,” De Los Santos said. “The plan was not to introduce myself as much, but when I saw how he was fighting, he was ready to go toe to toe. Mexican fighters love to fight like this, but he was open for me to attack.”
“I didn’t expect De Los Santos to be as aggressive as he was in the fight,” Valenzuela said. “He gave it as well as he took it. I just want to focus on getting back in the ring and redeem myself.”
A late replacement who officially stepped in to face Valenzuela this week, De Los Santos looked good from the start, staggering Valenzuela in the first round, though Valenzuela was able to survive the round. Early in the second round, Valenzuela stumbled again, but was able to turn the momentum around temporarily, landing a powerful left hook that dropped De Los Santos.
After getting to his feet, De Los Santos was able to regain momentum with a series of right hooks that dropped Valenzuela hard. De Los Santos was penalized by the referee for taking an extra shot while Valenzuela was down, giving Valenzuela extra time to recover and get through the round.
De Los Santos looked like the fresher fighter heading into the round and was able to drop Valenzuela again early in the frame. Valenzuela was again able to get back to his feet, but after a follow-up flurry from De Los Santos, the referee stepped in and officially called off the fight.
“I faced a ranked fighter tonight and he was up for the task,” De Los Santos said. “Now I want the same name that everyone wants. I love Gervonta Davis.”
Prior to the pay-per-view, preliminaries live on FOX and FOX Deportes featured rising undefeated junior welterweight Joey Spencer (16-0, 10 KOs) winning a career-best 10-round unanimous decision over Kevin Salgado (14-1-1, 9 KOs). KO’s).
“He’s a hard-hitting counter-puncher, so we wanted to control the distance,” Spencer said. “I feel very strong. I’m very proud of the work we put into my conditioning and I think he showed himself in the fight.” I’m getting better as I get more experience, and that helps me stay more composed in these fights. I will continue to add to my game as I get more comfortable. I’m definitely working on getting better as an offensive fighter.”
In his first 10-round fight as a professional, the 22-year-old Spencer turned down what many considered the toughest opponent of his career, taking a 79-54 advantage in punches to give him the victory. Salgado from Mexico proved to be a tough test for Spencer as he continued to push through to the final bell. After 10 rounds, all three judges saw it in Spencer’s favor with scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90.
“I have a couple of ideas of who I want to fight next,” Spencer said. “Tony Harrison, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora are all the guys I want to fight. I want to fight the best. There is a champion in the division and we have to fight each other to get to him.”
In live action on FS1 and FOX Deportes, undefeated super bantamweight contender Ra’eese Aleem (20-0, 12 KOs) showcased his considerable boxing ability by winning a unanimous decision over Mike Plania (26-2, 13 KOs). in his 10 -round duel.
“The fight was everything I expected it to be,” Aleem said. He is a very tough fighter and a great competitor. He just wanted to fight a smart fight, because we know he’s dangerous. Though I didn’t feel the power of him, I know. he can hit. I just wanted to take my time and let it all fall into place for him.”
Aleem scored a knockdown early in the second round to jump to the lead and control the action throughout, displaying an impressive and varied attack highlighted by a variety of left hands. After closing out the show with a dominant tenth and final round, Aleem won the decision 100-89 three times.
“It’s time for ‘scared boy’ Stephen Fulton Jr. to come out of hiding and sign the contract,” Aleem said. “Let’s get in there so he can give him his first loss. It would be a closer fight than tonight, but I’m still hoping to dominate and get the win.”
The event was promoted by TGB Promotions.
