Although still a work in progress, former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz beats Luis Ortiz to continue moving in the right direction, Elliot Worsell writes.
There was always a feeling that Andy Ruiz would first have to embarrass, beat up, and destroy the older version of himself before he could do the same to others, and finally, it looks like he’s poised to do just that.
Tonight (September 4) in Los Angeles, for example, nearly three years after losing to Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia, he went toe-to-toe with the oft-avoided Cuban Luis Ortiz for 12 rounds and emerged victorious, winning. by narrow margin. decision at the end of the fight. Best of all, though, he did it while he weighed 268 pounds, which means he weighed about 15 pounds less than when he walked after Joshua in the desert in 2019.
That, for Ruiz, is as big a win as anything, as it’s a sign that he’s taking things seriously again and sees the value of keeping fit between fights. It wasn’t the lowest weight of his career yet, nor was he as light as when he outpointed Chris Arreola last May (256 pounds that night), but at least Ruiz is in the right ballpark now and seems to realize that, at A At 32, he is entering his prime years as a heavyweight contender and former champion.
Also, forgetting numbers for a second, there’s a general cleanliness to Ruiz now that wasn’t something you’d associate him with in 2019. Back then he was scruffy and slow, his hand speed was both a treat and a surprise, and all. about him smacks of not taking things seriously and not caring about himself, his appearance or his potential.
Now, however, he seems to have addressed this, resurfacing not only lighter than he was when he surrendered to Joshua, but also maintaining a cleaner, more respectable appearance, indicative of someone who truly cares. That, in terms of moving forward and maintaining this encouraging form, is probably as important to Ruiz as winning and will go a long way toward ensuring he sticks to his new habits and routines.
Sometimes all you need is a little vanity and maybe, at 32, Ruiz finally has something. Maybe she didn’t find it in the gold watches, necklaces and rings she bought after surprising Joshua in June 2019, but from a much deeper place, a place inside, and maybe now she looks in the mirror and wants to feel herself. proud of the way you look, feel and perform.
Appearance isn’t everything, as true in boxing as it is in life, however, if boxing is the only field where “fat shaming” is still considered responsible and considered advice, rest assured that Ruiz, at some point, has listened and paid attention. this advice and tried to do something about it, knowing deep down that his undoubted abilities will be much better.
This was true against Ortiz in Los Angeles, a fight he couldn’t have won if he wasn’t in relatively decent shape. It was there, in the presence of Ortiz, a man only Deontay Wilder has shown a willingness to fight in the past, Ruiz started a strong rhythm early on and mostly kept it going, using his faster, busier hands to steal rounds from his tougher adversary. economical and methodical.
His victory was later approved, in the eyes of the judges, by a trio of knockdowns scored against Ortiz, two of which came in the second round and the third in the seventh. Each time Ruiz managed to get to the target faster than Ortiz, usually with his right hand, and surprised the Cuban with his speed, his accuracy and his power, which, although perhaps not at Wilder’s level, was more than enough to make a dent. at Ortiz, 33-3 (28).
In the end, it was the difference, those knockdowns, with the fight competitive, back and forth, and thoroughly entertaining. Ruiz had his moments and hit his best shots, while Ortiz, a well-educated southpaw, also had his moments and hit his best shots, though such was the age difference (11 years), the freshness and stamina of the shot, the The impact of Ortiz’s shots on Ruiz wasn’t half as obvious as the impact of Ruiz’s shots on Ortiz.
That said, whether it landed in Ruiz’s face or Ortiz’s face, for some reason every shot that landed clean seemed to have fight-ending potential. In fact, what made the fight even more dramatic and entertaining were the bodies and heads involved, targets so large that every time a significant hit landed it caused a ripple effect to the stomach or face, perfect footage to capture on camera, it just adds to the drama of it all.
While images like that can sometimes be misleading, here, in the case of Ruiz and Ortiz, they did a very good job of telling the story of the fight. However, after 12 tough, action-packed rounds, it was the images of Ortiz on the mat that finally told the true story of the fight and furthermore explained why Ruiz, a man in desperate need of a victory, prevailed over tens of 114-111 (twice) and 113-112.
It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, however, it was encouraging for Ruiz, 35-2 (22), and a sign that he is now headed in the right direction as 2022 enters its second half. Also, at this stage, perfection is unlikely to be the goal for the currently shrinking former heavyweight champion. What he seeks instead is progress, and the progress he is showing, his skin, his setbacks and habits of yesteryear, all in the process of shedding, fight after fight, like clothes that no longer fit him.
