Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. scored three knockdowns against Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and needed every one of them.
The knockdowns allowed Ruiz to earn a unanimous decision in their WBC semifinal title eliminator fight in the main event of the Premier Boxing Champions Fox Sports pay-per-view card on Sunday night at Crypto Arena in Los Angeles.
With 3 knockdowns, and a fight that was everything we’d hoped for in a heavyweight bout of this caliber, @andy_destroyer1 defeats Luis Ortiz for UD in a WBC Title Eliminator on @PBConFOX PPV. #RuizOrtiz pic.twitter.com/cefLxqOovV
– Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) September 5, 2022
Ruiz put Ortiz on the canvas twice in the second round and again in the seventh round and held on for victory despite Ortiz’s late recovery.
Judges Edward Hernandez Sr. and Zachary Young scored 114-111 each and Fernando Villarreal 113-112. Without the knockdowns, the fight would have ended in a majority draw.
The win moved Ruiz one step closer to a shot at the WBC title at the hands of Tyson Fury, who is negotiating an undisputed title fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Former champion Deontay Wilder was ringside and is scheduled to face Robert Helenius in the other WBC semifinal eliminator on October 15. year.
“If Deontay wins in October, he and I are with the same management and we can make this fight happen,” Ruiz said. “Let’s do it. Let’s move on.”
That sounded good to Wilder (42-2-1, 41 KOs), who knocked out Ortiz twice during his title run.
“Deontay Wilder is back and I’m always looking for exciting fights for the fans,” said Wilder, a prohibitive favorite against Helenius. “If Andy Ruiz Jr. is what he’s after, then I’m ready to do it.”
First, Ruiz had to get past Ortiz, the first southpaw he had faced as a pro in his 13-year career, and it was no easy task. Ruiz was fighting for the second time since losing a near-shutout decision to Anthony Joshua in their rematch that cost Ruiz the world title belts in December 2019. He was also coming off a 16-month layoff from a tougher-than-expected decision. . about former contender Chris Arreola, who knocked him down, and subsequent right knee surgery.
“Everyone doubted me, but I worked very hard for this fight,” said Ruiz, who became the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a world heavyweight title when he defeated Joshua by knockout in their first fight in June 2019. “Ortiz is a warrior who hits hard. He did a beautiful job boxing him. I showed more class than I usually do when I introduce myself.”
Overall, it was a slow-paced fight, but every time Ruiz let go of his fast hands, he gave Ortiz trouble.
Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs), 32, of Imperial, Calif., the huge crowd favorite, gave Ortiz all kinds of trouble in the second round. He landed an overhand right hand near the top of Ortiz’s head to drop him to his knees. Moments later, Ortiz went down again from what seemed more like a push than a clean shot, but referee Jack Reiss ruled it a knockdown. Ortiz recovered and finished the round well when he landed a left hand.
Ruiz didn’t throw many punches, but he did tag Ortiz enough to put rounds on the bench in a fight that had the crowd booing for the lack of action in the sixth round.
Ortiz (33-3, 28 KOs), 43, a Cuban fighting in Miami who is much slower than Ruiz, used the slow pace to his advantage. He kept his distance from him and kept Ruiz at the end of his jab.
But then Ruiz broke through again in the seventh round with two quick right hands, each rocking Ortiz before he landed another to the top of the head to drop him in the closing seconds of the round.
Although they didn’t land many punches, both men have power and they did damage. Ruiz’s eyes were scarred and Ortiz’s left eye was swollen from the middle rounds.
There was no big final flourish from either man, though Ruiz rocked Ortiz with a right hand midway through the 11th round and Ortiz landed a fight-high 12 punches in the 12th round, including a solid left with Ruiz in a corner in the closing seconds. of the fight
According to CompuBox stats, Ruiz landed 76 of 287 punches (27 percent) and Ortiz landed 78 of 428 (18 percent). Ruiz finished with a 67-56 advantage in power shots landed.
“It was a tough fight,” Ruiz said. “I was waiting for him to charge and countering him when he did. It was a blessing that we were able to succeed.”
Ortiz did not complain about the decision and was proud of his performance.
“I told you I was going to be a warrior and that’s what I did,” Ortiz said through an interpreter. “This is Cuba against Mexico. This is what I live for. To everyone who said I’m old, today I gave you a war. There are always surprises in boxing, and that’s what you get if you didn’t think he would give it his all.”
Even at his age, he has every intention of continuing to fight.
“I’d like a rematch,” Ortiz said, though that’s unlikely. “Do you think I’m done after the way I fought? Do people think I’m done? I do not think.”
Ruiz hopes the victory will be the start of a much busier schedule than he has had in recent years and lead him to another world title, even with the prospect of a showdown with Wilder in the offing.
“I want to fight at least three or four times a year,” Ruiz said. “I’m hungry and I want to be champion again and bring that belt to Mexico.”
