Andy Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KO’s) grabbed the victory on Sunday, September 4th against Luis Ortiz (33-2, 28 KO’s), winning by unanimous decision. The fight saw Ruiz Jr. score a total of three knockdowns that eventually helped him to win on the scorecards.
Ruiz managed to grab a comfortable lead early on in the 2nd round of the fight when he knocked down the Cuban twice with his signature combination attacks. He failed however, in keeping the same type of pressure on Ortiz during the rest of the fight, allowing Ortiz to win several rounds after his knockdowns. Ortiz’ jab proved to be as effective as ever and was a main catalyst in helping him win the rounds that he did, but despite his efforts he seemed to be struggling with stamina issues as he failed to impress the later rounds.
While Andy Ruiz Jr. fought slightly too tentative after having knocked down Ortiz, he still managed to score another knockdown in the 8th round, which is likely what sealed his victory. The American-Mexican fighter showed solid defense and output throughout the fight, but seemed to be comfortable following his two knockdowns and his combinations were fairly sparse throughout the rest of the match. Given Ortiz apparently running out of gas later in the fight, Andy Ruiz could have sealed the victory with a stoppage or knockout, but he did manage to win several exchanges throughout the bout between the both of them, helping Ruiz edge out on the scorecards.
The match was a WBC eliminator bout, meaning that Ruiz Jr. will now be set to face the winner of the Deontay Wilder vs. Robert Helenius fight which is slated for October 15. Deontay Wilder briefly appeared in the ring to promote his upcoming fight with Helenius, and to tease a potential fight with Andy Ruiz Jr. if he manages to make it past Helenius. Though it is unknown whether Tyson Fury’s WBC belt will be vacated given his recent announcement to fight later this year – despite having reaffirmed his own retirement at least twice over the course of 4 months.
The winner of Wilder vs. Helenius will presumably face Andy Ruiz Jr. for either the WBC World Heavyweight title (if Fury vacates the belt) or be first in line to face Tyson Fury if he chooses to remain unretired.
