Los Angeles (AFP) - Andy Ruiz hit enough big punches on Luis Ortiz to make up for his mistakes and caution in a narrow victory that put him on his way to a chance to become the heavyweight champion again.
He defeated Ruiz Ortiz three times en route to victory by unanimous decision Sunday night.
Former third division world champion Abner Maris also battled for a majority with Miguel Flores returning in Maris from a four-year absence on the bottom card for pay-per-view. Then Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz stopped lightweight Eduardo Ramirez in the second round with two evil knockouts.
In the main event, Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) ruled out a decision over Ortiz (33-3), a two-time world title contender. The 43-year-old Southern California native defeated Ortiz twice in the second round and again in the seventh, but his Cuban opponent fought back with his severely bulging left eye and hit him more accurately during extended periods of relative idle for both fighters.
“I worked really hard for this fight, because I knew he was a warrior and he was hitting hard,” Ruiz said. “I thought I did a nice job of boxing and dealing with his pressure.”
The referees scored the match 114-111, 114-111 and 113-112 for Ruiz. The Associated Press also had Ruiz 114-111, with knockouts that made the difference.
Ruiz delivered one of the biggest upsets in modern heavyweight history when he took all three of Anthony Joshua’s championship belts in 2019, but lost it again to his British opponent six months later. Ruiz has only fought once since, but he has rededicated himself to training in hopes of getting another shot at the belts.
“I don’t want to wait,” said Ruiz. “I want to fight at least three or four times a year. I’m hungry, man. I want to be a champion again.”
Entering the ring in a blue and gold jumpsuit and trunks with Super Bowl Los Angeles Rams helmet colors and horns, Ruiz abruptly knocked Ortiz to the ground early in the second round with his short right hand. Ortiz wiggled to his feet and quickly fell back down while trying to wrestle with Ruiz, but reached for the bell.
Ortiz said, “To everyone who said I was old, I gave you a war today. I want a rematch. The eye has never been a problem for me. Do you think I’m finished after the way I fought? Do people think I’m finished? I don’t.”
Neither fighter threw much or risked much in the next four rounds, and the crowd supporting Ruiz loudly murmured their displeasure. But Ruiz called again late in the seventh, and stunned Ortiz before being sent to the plate with a right over the head.
“It was very difficult,” Ruiz said. “I was waiting for him to load, and reply back when he did. It was a blessing that we were able to succeed.”
Earlier, Cruz (24-2-1, 17 KOs) made his case for a second match with Gervonta “Tank” Davis with his two-round demolition for Ramirez, knocking him face-first with a left hook in the jaw before finishing him with a combination in the corner.
Davis, who narrowly beat Cruz by decision last December, smiled as he watched the match from ringside to cheers: “We want a tank!” A fan of Cruz.
Maris (31-3-2) has not fought since his second loss to Leo Santa Cruz in June 2018. He recovered from retinal detached surgery shortly before the coronavirus pandemic began, and his absence from the ring extended during his relegation. Comment function with Showtime.
But Maris eventually decided he had to come back, looking pretty sharp early on against Flores (25-4-1) with a streak of big right hands that shook his opponent. The Mares tired in the second half but won 96-94 on a single judge card. The other two scored 95-95.
“Obviously it’s been over four years now, so I was a little off timing, a bit slow,” Maris said. “But I felt good, and I thought I was hitting the hardest hits. I definitely felt like I won - won.”
The pay-per-view opened with a massive upset: Edwin de los Santos, a lightweight Dominican who fills the role of a late alternate opponent, hit formerly undefeated Mexican Jose Valenzuela to win the third round by stoppage. De Los Santos was only added to the card on Wednesday when Jezreel Corrales was unable to obtain a Panama travel visa.
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