Via Dan Ambrose: Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr will face two-time world champion Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz on September 4 in Los Angeles, California. The fight will take place at the Crypto Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center.
ESPN Deportes is covering the news of the Ruiz vs Ortiz fight on September 4, and it will delight fans. In addition to Ruiz taking on 43-year-old King Kong Ortiz, the lower division will feature a former lightweight world title challenger Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz fight a still-unknown opponent and former three-division world champion Abner Mares compete.
32-year-old Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) has been dragging his feet for the past two years, talking about fighting ‘King Kong’ Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) but failed to do so.
Ruiz losing to Luis Ortiz wouldn’t be a shock as the pedigree difference between them is huge. Before Ruiz removed significant frustration with Joshua in June 2019, he was considered a basic ham & egg heavyweight and nothing special.
Eddie Hearn chose Ruiz as Joshua’s replacement after three weeks, and AJ paid the price by fighting recklessly. Ortiz will beat Ruiz without a hitch on September 4, sending him in search of another new coach to reinvigorate his career.
Rather than challenge Ortiz to a fight, Ruiz thought of 40-year-old crusader Chris Arreola last May and labored to make a decision that couldn’t have been more impressive over 12 rounds.
“The long-awaited return of former world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz won’t come on September 4 in Los Angeles against the experienced and dangerous Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz, sources close to the matter said. disclosure. negotiations with ESPN KNOCKOUT,” Salvador Rodriguez told ESPN Deportes. They also announced that Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz is expected right there And maybe Ábner Mares, a three-time world champion, can return to the ring.”
Andy Ruiz is currently ranked #5 WBA, #5 WBO, #8 IBF and #12 WBA and is in a position to challenge for a world title if he can secure a win.
Ruiz hasn’t stopped talking about wanting a three-part fight against former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua after losing three titles to the British boxer in December 2019.
It was a fight that Ruiz dropped out of entering the competition at 283 lbs. after failing to do the hard work required in training camp.
Ruiz’s former coach Manny Robles has spoken out about Andy’s failure to train hard during camp, appearing to have moved after causing significant discomfort to Joshua in his first bout. theirs in June 2019.
Some boxing fans claim that Ruiz’s sudden overnight millionaire status changed him, took away his ambition and made him too greedy and didn’t train hard for the rematch.
Unfortunately, Ruiz has done very little preciously since losing to Joshua in 2019, fighting only once against top laner Chris Arreola and looking underwhelming in that bout.
Even though Ruiz dropped to 256 lbs from the 283 pounds he weighed in his rematch with Joshua, he pounced against Arreola and was surprisingly dropped in the second round.
Some believe that the weight loss affected Ruiz’s ability to withstand punches, but it is more likely that lack of exercise was the main culprit that caused him to be knocked out.
Before fighting Arreola, Ruiz had left the ring two years after his loss to Joshua, he is taking time to play again.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said that if Ruiz wants a trilogy with AJ, he has to hit some solid wins under his belt to win it. If Ruiz beats Ortiz, that could greatly help him in his goal of getting a third payday ahead of Joshua.
Of course, it would have been better for Ruiz to continue his fight against Ortiz by facing either Joe Joyce or Filip Hrgovic to increase his chances of winning the trio with Joshua, but Dan Ambrose isn’t holding his breath waiting for that to happen. .
Luis Ortiz stopped former IBF champion Charles Martin earlier this year on January 1. Ortiz was knocked out twice by Martin before rallying to knock the boxer 6’5 ″ in the sixth round. Currently, Ortiz is rated #2 IBF, #7 WBO and #8 WBC.
