Andy Ruiz Jr wants to face Deontay Wilder in an effort to get himself back in world heavyweight title contention after a comeback win over Luis Ortiz.
The American dropped former world title challenger Ortiz three times on the way to a less-than-comfortable decision victory in his first fight since May of last year. Despite putting his opponent to the canvas on three occasions, Ruiz made it more difficult than it needed to be at times and narrowly escaped with one scorecard of 113-112 two of 114-111.
Twice in the second round Ruiz put down his Cuban rival, but the southpaw style proved tricky and cost him as he was unable to put him away early. Both men lumbered through an unexciting middle of the fight before Ruiz again dropped Ortiz in the seventh, but he could only squeeze out a decision in his first fight back.
Ortiz had struggled to get past Charles Martin back in January and showed less signs of ring rust than his rival, but has shown in these two performances that he may be past his best. At 43-years-old and having lost his two chances to graduate from interim heavyweight champion to the real thing, he should possibly consider retirement, and not the rematch he demanded post-fight.
In the 11th, Ruiz landed a big shot that shut the eye of Ortiz, but didn't send him to the canvas for a fourth time. The right hand bounced off Ortiz's face and essentially shut his eye instantly, with replays on the pay-per-view broadcast showing the severity of the injury.
The slow-paced battle came over a year after Ruiz was dropped on his way to getting through the less-fancied veteran Chris Arreola, and will have done little to excite fans or push him towards world title contention again. But after the fight, Ruiz demanded a major step up in Wilder, who faces Robert Helenius next month in New York.
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"I want to keep staying active," Ruiz said after the fight. "I do no want to be waiting so long until I fight, I want to fight at least three or four times a year, I'm ready, I'm hungry and I want to be champion again and bring that belt back to Mexico."
Speaking on Wilder, who met him with a respectful handshake in the ring following his victory, Ruiz said: "God willing he wins in October. We’re in the same organisation. I want to thank Al Haymon. We can make this fight happen and let’s do it, let’s get it on."
Wilder faces a stern test of his own on October 15 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn when he takes on Helenius, the giant Finn who defeated Adam Kownacki twice in his last two fights. Should he get through that test, however, his meeting with Ruiz could be a major pay-per-view fight in America with real heavyweight title implications.
