There will never come a point in his career where Andy Ruiz doesn’t want a decider with Anthony Joshua.
“Before we retire, I would love to fight Anthony Joshua again,” Ruiz told BoxingScene.com. “There has to be that trilogy, especially in the heavyweight division. He and I have unfinished business.”
A third fight between the pair of former unified heavyweight champions remains a future priority for Ruiz, even after Joshua’s repeat loss to current WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk (20-0, 13KOs). His clash on August 20 saw Usyk have to settle for a split decision in a fight he otherwise won outright, leaving Joshua with his third loss in his last five fights.
The first loss came at the hands of Ruiz (34-2, 22KOs), who became the only fighter of Mexican descent to win a share of the heavyweight crown after knocking out Englishman Joshua in the seventh round in June 2019. The title reign was short-lived, and Ruiz seemed ill-prepared for his rematch as he lost a twelve-round decision six months later in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
Joshua (24-3, 22KOs) made only one successful defense of his second title reign, a ninth-round knockout of Kubrat Pulev in December 2020. Ukraine’s Usyk ended his second title reign with a twelve-round unanimous decision in September. spent in North London. , repeating the feat in their August 20 rematch in Jeddah.
Meanwhile, it has been a slow climb back to the top for Ruiz. There has only been one fight since his rematch with Joshua, jumping off the canvas to outpoint Chris Arreola on May 1 in Carson, California. The next step in his quest to become a two-time champion comes this Sunday, when he takes on former title challenger Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28KOs) in a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View from Crypto.com Arena. in Los Angeles. The fight is a semifinal eliminator, with the winner moving up the WBC rankings though not guaranteeing an immediate title shot.
Becoming a two-time champion is important to Ruiz. He is also showing that he is much better than where he last left off with Joshua.
“The rematch with Usyk didn’t go the way he wanted, he didn’t get those titles back and he let off steam later,” Ruiz acknowledged. “Things happen for a reason. But he’s coming back, I’m going to be here and I’d love for me and him to fight again.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
