In the heavyweight class, each battle is potentially life-threatening and a small handful of strikes can determine the result. That is precisely how the fight between Luis Ortiz and Andy Ruiz Jr. played out on Saturday night. Although Ortiz technically won more rounds on the three official scorecards, Andy Ruiz Jr. was awarded the victory by the unanimous decision because he knocked down Luis Ortiz three times during the fight.
Even though the action moved at a snail’s pace and was controlled mainly by Ortiz’s jab, Ruiz was the one who dominated every noteworthy moment. The second round of the battle was by far the most spectacular since it was during this round, that Ruiz knocked Ortiz down with a powerful right hook to the side of the head. Then moments later scored a second knockdown as Ortiz struggled to regain equilibrium.
After the frantic second round, Ruiz would ease off the gas pedal, allowing Ortiz to take control of the fight’s pace with little more than a crisp and controlled jab. Because of this, the battle regularly degenerated into a dull affair, which prompted the audience to boo and hiss at the participants.
Despite the lack of action and the fact that Ruiz spent the majority of the fight absorbing jabs from his southpaw opponent, the first southpaw Ruiz had faced as a professional, another Ruiz bomb dropped Ortiz in the seventh round, leaving a win on the scorecards for Ortiz to be little more than a prayer.
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At the end of the 12 rounds, Ruiz was given official scores of 114-111 on two separate occasions and 113-112 on the third. Two of the three judges scored each man six rounds, but the third saw it seven to five in favor of Ortiz due to the knockdowns.
Even in defeat, Ortiz demonstrated his competitive spirit and stated he wasn’t ready to hang up the gloves. I told you I was going to be a warrior,” Ortiz noted after the match. “In a word: yes! Cuba takes on Mexico in this one. There had been a war. Is ‘King Kong’ really so dated? I’ve declared war on you today. Tonight, I feel like I put up a solid fight.”
Five times in 2022, Ortiz has been knocked down. He was down twice in a January battle against Charles Martin, a match he eventually won with a sixth-round knockout. In his career, Ortiz had only lost three times before his loss to Ruiz, all of which had come in attempts to win the WBC world title from Deontay Wilder.
After startling the world by defeating Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBO, and WBA championships before losing them in the rematch, Ruiz announced his intention to be more active, no longer seeking to fight once each year to get back to a world title fight.
“Don’t sit around, dude. I’d rather not have to wait too long to start fighting, “According to what Ruiz stated. “My goal is to have bouts three or four times a year. There’s no need to hurry me; I’m prepared. I want to take the belt home to Mexico.”
With two wins in a row since losing the rematch with Joshua, Ruiz has hinted at a showdown with former champion Wilder if Wilder is successful against Robert Helenius in October. Wilder, who had been in the audience, answered the call and agreed to fight. That’s what’s next, Wilder said. Let’s get it on when I finish off some work.
Result Of Ruiz vs. Ortiz fight card
- There was a unanimous verdict in favor of Andy Ruiz over Luis Ortiz (113-112, 114-111, 114-111)
- A second-round knockout by Isaac Cruz gave him the victory against Eduardo Ramirez, and a majority tie decided the bout between Abner Mares and Miguel Flores (96-94, 95-95, 95-95). Edwin de Los Santos won via third-round technical knockout over Jose Valenzuela.
- Isaac Cruz showed why he is a lightweight to be reckoned with by knocking out Eduardo Ramirez in the second round of their bout. Following his December victory against Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Cruz demanded a rematch with the superstar. We at CBS Sports were there in Los Angeles to cover your entire event.
Ruiz vs. Ortiz scorecard
| ROUND | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruiz | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 114 |
| Ortiz | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 111 |