Andy Ruiz Jr. will now be fighting the tough heavyweight contender Luis ‘King Kong’ Ortiz next in the summer rather than the recently announced match against Tyrone Spong.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) already had a signed contract to face the 43-year-old ‘King Kong’ Ortiz (33-2, 28 KOs) before inking a contract to fight the undefeated former kickboxer Spong (14-0, 13 KOs) on a Triller Fight Club card on July 16th in a pay-per-view fight at the Plaza de Toros in Mexico City, Mexico.
It’s all very strange. Last month, Ruiz put together a fight poster of him and Luis Ortiz, posting it on Instagram, asking his fans: “How many of my fans would like to see this fight happen next on PPV⁉️ Drop a comment below.” The response Ruiz got from his fans was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, as they were eager to see him face Ortiz.
Ruiz may have had seconds thoughts about fighting the still dangerous Ortiz. Hence, his decision to sign to fight the obscure second-tier heavyweight Spong, who has never fought anyone ranked in the top 15.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was shocked when told of the news of Ruiz fighting the little-known Spong. He felt it was a strange move on Ruiz’s part because he could have fought Derek Chisora, and that would have been a much bigger fight.
Since losing to Anthony Joshua in their rematch in December 2019, Ruiz has shown little ambition, fighting just once against faded veteran Chris Arreola last May.
Ruiz wanted a third fight with Joshua, but his inactivity has gotten in the way of that match-up happening.
To be sure, it’s a fight that could happen if Ruiz showed more motivation by fighting three times in 2022 against quality opposition.
If Ruiz can beat the two-time world title challenger Luis Ortiz in the summer and then follow that up with two victories over top ten-ranked contenders, a trilogy fight with Joshua would be realistic in 2023.
Unfortunately, it’s more likely that Ruiz will disappear for a year after his summer fight against Ortiz.
The former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Ruiz arguably should have taken the fight with Ortiz last year instead of facing him now.
“Sources: Andy Ruiz Jr. will fight Luis Ortiz next in a PBC heavyweight bout rather than Tyrone Spong despite a Triller announcement Wednesday of a July 16 bout in Mexico City. The ex-heavyweight champ signed to fight Ortiz before he signed to fight Spong,” said Mike Coppinger.
