Boxing Heavyweigh- Chicano Andy Ruiz drops Cubano Luis Ortiz three times en route to decision win

[RMuller]

Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Luis Ortiz fight results, highlights: Ruiz drops Ortiz three times en route to decision win

[RMuller]

Ruiz put on a strong showing in Los Angeles on Sunday night, moving one step closer to a title shot

Every fight is dangerous in the heavyweight division and just a handful of punches can change an outcome. That's exactly how the fight between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Luis Ortiz played out on Saturday night, with Ortiz technically winning more rounds on the three official scorecards but Ruiz taking a unanimous decision victory thanks to three knockdowns in the fight.

The action was frequently slow and often dominated by Ortiz's jab, but every moment of note belonged to Ruiz. The most exciting round of the fight was the second, with Ruiz dropping Ortiz with a big right hand to the side of the head and scoring a second knockdown moments later as Ortiz had yet to recover his equilibrium.


Despite the lack of action and Ruiz spending much 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 little more than a prayer for Ortiz.

After the completion of 12 rounds, the official scorecards read 113-112 and 114-111 twice for Ruiz. The knockdowns were the deciding factor, as two of the three judges gave both men six rounds and one saw it seven to five in favor of Ortiz.


"I told you I was going to be a warrior," Ortiz said after the fight. "I love this. This is Cuba vs. Mexico. It was a war. ... If they said 'King Kong' is old. I gave you a war today. I think I gave a good fight tonight."


As for Ruiz, the former three-belt heavyweight champion of the world, he said his plan is to be more active, no longer looking to fight just once each year as he tries to get back to a world title fight after shocking the world by defeating Anthony Joshua to win the IBF, WBO and WBA titles before losing them in the rematch.


"Staying active, man. I don't want to be waiting so long before I fight," Ruiz said. "I want to be fighting three or four times a year. I'm ready. I want to bring the belt back to Mexico."