LOS ANGELES – Andy Ruiz had a lot to prove on Sunday night, even to skeptics who didn’t believe he could continue to be a heavyweight contender and who thought Luis Ortiz would beat him.
Not only did he prove that he is still one of the best fighters in the division, but he could come out on top against a dangerous and hard-hitting foe.
Ruiz dropped Ortiz three times en route to a close unanimous decision victory before a pro-Ruiz crowd at Crypto.com Arena.
The scores were 114-111, 114-111 and 113-112 for Ruiz, who improves to 35-2, 22 knockouts and won the WBA world title eliminator fight.
The clash against Ruiz was a battle between fighters ranked in the top 10 by The Ring. Ruiz and Ortiz are ranked No. 5 and 6, respectively.
Both fighters were assertive from the opening bell, standing in the center of the ring and exchanging combinations.
During the second round, a right hand to the top of the head dropped Ortiz to the canvas. Ortiz beat the count but was pushed to the canvas, but referee Thomas Taylor still administered a standing eight count on Ortiz. To his credit, Ortiz came back strong during the round, rocking Ruiz twice with left crosses to the head.
Andy Ruiz gets his third knockdown of the fight at the end of the seventh round! #RuizOrtiz pic.twitter.com/dcEa7HqCxu
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) September 5, 2022
Ruiz was able to use his tricky hand speed to get past Ortiz during the middle rounds. As the fight progressed, the pace of the fight slowed, which favored Ortiz.
During the seventh round, a round Ortiz was winning, a right hand from Ruiz dropped Ortiz to the canvas. Ortiz was not visibly hurt by the punch, he beat the count and engaged Ruiz until he rang the bell to end the round.
Ortiz had his moments as the fight progressed into the championship rounds. He would continue to work behind a consistent jab, keeping Ruiz at bay and even ruling out any combination Ruiz tried to throw and land.
Feeling that he was down on the scorecards, Ortiz was the aggressor during the final round. Twice Ortiz hit left crosses that Ruiz took well. He let go of her hands, but couldn’t land anything consistent again when he finally rang the bell to end the fight.
Ruiz acknowledged after the fight that he was wary of Ortiz’s punching power, but made adjustments during the fight.
“He’s a warrior and he hits hard,” said Ruiz, who lives in Imperial, California. “I was countering him when he wanted to charge.”
Andy Ruiz responds with a BIG takedown! #RuizOrtiz pic.twitter.com/XZrwZBwG1V
— FOX Sports: PBC (@PBConFOX) September 5, 2022
Ruiz has come a long way since losing to Anthony Joshua in December 2019. Six months prior, Ruiz was atop the heavyweight division, having stopped Joshua to win the unified heavyweight title.
Despite the setbacks, Ruiz made a conscious decision to remain disciplined in the gym and also lost a considerable amount of weight. He hopes to get back in the ring soon after proving the naysayers wrong.
“People doubted me and said they were going to knock me out,” Ruiz said. “I don’t want to wait a long time between fights. I want to fight three or four times a year. I want to be champion again and bring the title back to Mexico.”
Ortiz, who is originally from Camaguey, Cuba and now resides in Miami, Florida, falls to 33-3, 28 KOs. He was coming off a knockout win over Charles Martin on Jan. 1, a fight in which he had dropped twice before knocking Martin out in the sixth round.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County, California, Star newspaper. He can be contacted by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing
