While there were times when the crowd that packed the Crypto.com Arena rose to their feet and cheered loudly, for most of Andy Ruiz Jr.’s matchup against Luis Ortiz, viewers were unsettled.
Still, even with the prolonged lack of action at times, Ruiz’s patience ultimately paid off. With the Mexican star recording three knockdowns during their fight earlier this month, Ruiz’s calculated attack resulted in a close but clear unanimous decision win.
Chris Arreola, a former heavyweight title challenger and long-time enemy of Ruiz, refrained from punishing his good friend after his latest trip to the ring. In fact, after observing his performance up close, Arreola gives Ruiz the thumbs up for getting the job done.
“He looked good,” Arreola told FightHype.com. “Honestly, he looked really, really good. Once you trade, you win. Every trade he wins, his hands are too fast. The fact is that the exchanges did not last long. Had he had more trades, I probably would have taken him out for the eighth.”
As Arreola relates, Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) fought a cautious and more reserved than usual fight, opting to take his opportunities only when they presented themselves. But, with Ruiz pulling out the win, the Mexican star and former unified heavyweight champion will be twiddling his thumbs and playing the waiting game.
On October 15, in the main event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Deontay Wilder and Robert Helenius will square off in a WBC final eliminator. Ruiz, 32, has quietly confessed that he secretly supports Wilder. According to the soft-spoken Ruiz, a matchup against Alabama’s hard-hitting product is one he craves above all else.
Ultimately, though, if Ruiz vs. Wilder takes place in the first half of 2023, Arreola is convinced that the game plan Ruiz implemented against Ortiz will result in a horrible night at the office against Wilder.
“He can’t sit outside and get hit like that by Wilder. Wilder will eventually drop that hammer and put him to sleep.”
Beyond a simple showdown with Wilder, Ruiz has admitted he’s grown bitter over the bleak title case at his palatial estate. Currently, both Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk remain atop the heavyweight division with Fury in possession of the WBC title while Usyk is in possession of the WBA, WBO, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine belts.
More recently, both men kept their undefeated records intact. Fury, 34, stomped on Dillian Whyte’s world title aspirations, stopping his man in the sixth round. As for Usyk, the Ukrainian star officially closed the book on his rivalry with Anthony Joshua, defeating him for the second time in a row on August 20.
Though the pair have seemingly solidified their placement as future Hall of Famers, Arreola believes that on any given night, Ruiz is more than capable of fighting both men on equal terms.
“You have two hands, you can compete, it’s not that difficult man. Especially someone like Andy who has been doing it his whole f—— life. It’s easy for him, it’s a piece of cake.”
