Andy Ruiz almost let another one slip.
A trio of knockdowns was the difference on the scorecards as the Imperial, California native cruised to a twelve-round unanimous decision over Miami’s Luis Ortiz. Judges Zachary Young (114-111). Eddie Hernandez (114-111) and Fernando Villareal (113-112) scored for Ruiz, who dropped Ortiz twice in the second round and again in the seventh round to prevail in their WBC heavyweight title semifinal eliminator. on Sunday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“It was tough,” Ruiz admitted to Fox Sports’ Heidi Androl about facing the first southpaw of his career. “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.”
The anticipated fight opened at a measured pace. Ruiz marginally outplayed the well-bred Ortiz, though he couldn’t land much behind him. Ortiz enjoyed the best sequence of the round, walking through a Ruiz jab to connect at the tail end of a left-right-left combination.
Ruiz made his presence felt in a big way in the second round. Ortiz was enjoying the change in momentum late in the first round, only to be hit by a right hand that had him melting to the canvas. Ortiz watched as referee Thomas Taylor counted to nine before getting to his feet, albeit on unsteady legs. Ruiz was able to send the Cuban southpaw to the canvas seconds later, though none of his two-punch combos seemed to land clean.
Ortiz responded in a big way, twice rocking Ruiz with straight left hands later in the round. Ruiz managed to land another right hand to Ortiz’s chin, who immediately responded with a left hand.
Ruiz’s superior hand speed was evident in the third round. Ortiz worked behind his jab but was left open for a right hand to the midsection as Ruiz was able to beat the 43-year-old heavyweight every time Ortiz looked to turn the tide.
The pair of sizable heavyweights were understandably cautious in the fourth round. Ortiz boxed more from the outside, extending his right as he attempted to set up a straight left to the body. Ruiz was able to parry the blow, offering enough lateral movement to force Ortiz to follow him around the ring and make him pay with his jab.
Ortiz enjoyed repeating the success with his long, heavy left jab during the fifth round. Ruiz was slower in the draw, showing signs of swelling under both eyes and his punch production drastically decreased. Ortiz took advantage of Ruiz’s sudden hesitation, stuck to the basics in the sixth round and ended the round with a clean right hand to Ruiz’s chin.
The passionate boxing crowd in Los Angeles began to grow restless at the slow pace. Ruiz was a source of applause after knocking Ortiz down for the third time of the night late in the seventh round. Ortiz initially laughed off a right hand from Ruiz, who came back with the gun causing the Cuban export to go into a clinch. Ruiz found enough room to land a slicing right hand to Ortiz’s left temple to send him to the canvas.
Ortiz once again beat the count and landed a sneaky left hand to end the round. He took the lead in the eighth round, pushing Ruiz around the ring with his jab. Ruiz nearly took the round, prompting head coach Alfredo Osuna, meeting Ruiz for the first time in more than six years, to urge his protégé to cut off the ring and drop hands when they were close to each other. the.
Ruiz responded immediately, rocking Ortiz with a combination early in the ninth round. A brief scare was avoided when Ruiz was sent to the canvas, though it was parried when Ortiz pushed down on Ruiz’s head after landing a right hand. The sequence halted Ruiz’s progress, as Ortiz was able to retake the lead solely on the strength of his strong jab that controlled most of the tenth round.
German Caicedo, Ortiz’s career-long head trainer, begged his fighter to do more than just throw his jab and go for a right hand. The last remaining disciple of the late legendary Angelo Dundee felt the fight was on, but Ortiz couldn’t let go of his hands to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Ortiz’s hesitation provided just enough of a window for Ruiz to enjoy one last surge of energy. A flush right hand from Ruiz caught Ortiz flush and caused his left eye to swell, seemingly sealing the deal for the former unified heavyweight champion.
The twelfth and final round saw both fighters come out with a sense of urgency. Ortiz, who had only fought past the 10th round just once before, provided the spark he badly needed a round ago, though he managed to catch Ruiz’s eye with a clean left hand upstairs.
It was too little, too late for Ortiz, who dropped to 33-3 (28KOs) even after outscoring Ruiz by just 78-76, albeit at a much lower percentage (18.2 percent, compared to 26.5 percent for Ruiz) according to the unofficial Compubox hit. Statistics. The loss snaps a two-fight win streak, including a dramatic sixth-round knockout of Charles Martin in a Jan. 1 fight that saw him drop twice before rallying to stop the former IBF heavyweight champion.
The latest loss likely ends Ortiz’s hopes of a third title shot. His two previous losses have come at the championship level, suffering knockout losses to then-undefeated WBC champion Deontay Wilder in March 2018 and November 2019, the latter in which he was ahead on the scorecards before a single right hand knocked him out in the seventh round.
The moment came at a time when Ruiz (35-2, 22KOs) was still riding high during his brief WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight title reign following a seventh-round knockout of Anthony. Joshua. Ruiz made history, becoming the first boxer of Mexican descent to win the heavyweight crown. He lost to Joshua six months later, having fought just twice since then, including Sunday’s victory. That part is an area he wants to drastically change.
“I don’t want to wait that long to fight,” said Ruiz, who has been out of the ring since a 12-round victory over Chris Arreola on May 1 in Carson, California. “I want to fight at least three, four times a year, man. I want to be champion again and bring that belt to Mexico!”
Ruiz remains one spot behind Wilder in the WBC rankings after emerging victorious in Sunday’s semifinal eliminator. Wilder (42-2-1, 41KOs) looks to bounce back from back-to-back knockout losses to lineal/WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23KOs) as he takes on Robert Helenius atop a Fox Sports PPV of October 15. in Brooklyn, New York.
Once upon a time, a Ruiz-Wilder fight would have represented a clash for the undisputed championship. It would now serve as the best matchup of the rest, if such a fight can be made.
“Deontay Wilder’s back. He is always looking for greatness,” Wilder said after stepping into the ring to congratulate Ruiz and Ortiz. “That’s what he loves to give to the fans. If that’s what comes next, I have to take care of business, but after that, we can continue.”
Such a fight would work well within Ruiz’s plan to stay more active and move toward another title shot.
“God willing, he wins (against) Robert in October, he and I are in the same organization,” Ruiz said, pointing to his alliance with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). “I want to thank Al Haymon. He can make this fight happen. Let’s do it.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
