As expected, Andy Ruiz-Luis Ortiz was a good, solid fight. It was also a significant fight between possibly two of the top five heavyweights in the world. At worst, it was a significant fight between two of the top 10 heavyweights in the world and a major WBC Eliminator.
With both fighters possessing high-level big-man skills and true tenacity, it was easy to tell this one would be good. And, despite long stretches of tactical chess games, it all turned out pretty true to his style.
I thought the judges’ scorecards were closer than they should have been (114-111, 114-111, 113-112 for Ruiz… I was 116-109, also for Ruiz) and it’s interesting to note that If not for the three knockdowns scored by Ruiz, we would have had a majority decision tie. But there was nothing strange, gross or disgusting about anything that happened on Sunday night. That is definitely a good thing. It was just a solid prize fight between two top contenders.
Ruiz looked good and looked pretty much like a fully upgraded Andy Ruiz. He boxed well and dropped his hands when he took the punches from him. In the post-fight interview, he talked about staying active and a greater truth couldn’t be said. If anyone needs to stay constantly active and focused on a task, it’s a guy like Ruiz, who is prone to distraction and self-indulgence. If he could fight consistently in the 245-250 pound range (he weighed almost 269 for this fight), life in the ring would be a lot easier for him, especially as he gets older. I mean, ideally, it would be better if he could hit the 235-240 pound mark, but we have to be realistic. Ruiz is who he is and he will always leave room for a good pozole or some tasty golden tacos.
What follows for him should be easy to watch. Fighting the winner of next month’s Deontay Wilder-Robert Helenius fight is a no-brainer. A fight with Wilder, especially, would not only be major competition, but also a compelling big battle and a direct prelude to another world title shot. Hell, if current WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury retires again, we could see Ruiz take on the Wilder-Helenius winner for the vacant WBC belt.
But first things first, Ruiz has to resist straying too far from what the life of a legitimate world-class athlete should be. This victory for Ortiz puts him back on the right path, now he just has to stay on that path.
As for Ortiz? He fought well, but the spotlight shone brightly on every flaw he has as an older fighter nearing the end of his career. He could not sustain long periods of activity and had to fight in bursts. His resistance to punches from him, which was in question before this fight, is still a big issue after three knockdowns from him. The burly 43-year-old Cuban (who many say is probably over 43) is still a top-tier heavyweight, but time appears to be running out on his drive for elite-level recognition and world title glory. He can still match up with just about any of the big men and is capable of surprising anyone on any given night, but he will have to be paired carefully for the rest of his career to maximize the time he has left in the game. I absolutely wouldn’t mind seeing him against Robert Helenius early next year, if Helenius loses to Wilder.
All in all, Ruiz-Ortiz was nice. The card was also solid. Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz added to his growing status as the “next great Mexican” with a brutal second round KO of Eduardo Ruiz. Abner Mares returned after more than four years to fight Miguel Flores in an entertaining 10-round majority draw. And in the opening bout of the pay-per-view telecast, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela was stunned by late replacement Edwin de los Santos via a shocking third-round stoppage.
Given that he had the money to pay the asking price for PPV, it was a pretty entertaining night of boxing for a Sunday before Labor Day.
I would be remiss if I did not take some time to acknowledge the passing of my good friend, colleague, and fellow firebrand Ted Sares, who passed away last week at the age of 85.
Ted was a prolific and knowledgeable boxing writer and one of the “reals”. He was not an accomplice of the merry hands or a useful idiot like so many boxing writers who feast on pennies and buffets of free media. He was also a successful businessman, family man, and elderly weightlifter, who at one point was officially America’s Strongest Old Man. Although, above all, he was my friend.
As I wrote in a tribute to my friend elsewhere:
“Ted’s nickname was ‘El Toro,’ but I never called him that. I didn’t want to be a ‘friend’ like that. He was more than that to me. He believed in me and my abilities as a writer when it seemed like no one else did, when the established media types were putting me out of business for reporting on media kickbacks and kickbacks. There was a good period of time when Ted believed in me more than I believed in myself. And it was his friendship that got me through those tough times.
I’m going to miss our regular chats. I’m going to miss his Facebook posts, even the ones that consisted of deep, deep gifs of NC-17 always seeming to open at the wrong company. I will miss his leadership by example and his raunchy wit behind closed doors online. I’m just going to miss him.
When Ted Sares touched your life, you felt it. I am sorry. I’m a better man for it.”
See you soon friend.
Do you have something for Magno? Submit it here: [email protected]
