An intriguing fight that has been spoken about for some time has been moved, as heavyweights, Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz will now clash on September 4, this a Sunday, at The Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. ESPN Deportes reported the news. Ruiz-Ortiz was to have taken place at the same venue on August 13. The fight will go out as a Fox Sports pay-per-view event.
It’s interesting that the fight will take place on a Sunday, instead of the more usual Friday or Saturday. No matter, the fans will likely tune in for this one in big numbers (depending on how stiff the P-P-V tag is).
Both men will be carrying some rust into the ring with them on fight night, former heavyweight champ Ruiz especially. By the time the Ortiz fight rolls around, “The Destroyer” will have seen combat just one time over a period of 33 months. While Ortiz, the older man by over a decade, last fought in January of this year.
But when they finally do collide, Ruiz and “King Kong” should give us a good action fight. In short, neither guy can afford to lose. Really, neither man can afford to look bad.
Ortiz, 33-2(28) says he is pumped up and ready for the fight, telling George Ebro how he is ready to “knock his head off.” Ortiz was dropped twice in his last fight, this by a motivated “Prince” Charles Martin, yet he says he is the man who is motivated for this fight.
“I have that discipline and the punches will not be lacking,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to throw them at him and whoever stands in front of me.”
Ruiz, 34-2(22) struggled some in his last fight, this against Chris Arreola. That was back in May of last year. Ruiz should have been far more active than he has been and it’s a mystery why he has not been fighting. A loss to Ortiz would be catastrophic for the man who upset Anthony Joshua three summers ago and it is to be hoped Ruiz turns up in shape on September 4.
We’ve waited a long time for this fight and now we will have to wait just a little while longer. Let’s hope Ruiz vs. Ortiz turns out to be a fight that was worth waiting for. All in all, it has been a slow year for the heavyweights. So far.
