Andy Ruiz Jr is eyeing a heavyweight clash with Deontay Wilder after defeating Luis Ortiz via unanimous decision on Sunday night.
Ruiz Jr was a 114-111, 113-112, 114-111 victor against Ortiz, dropping the Cuban twice in Los Angeles but failing to put away the 43-year-old.
The result marked Ruiz Jr’s second straight win since his points loss to Anthony Joshua in December 2019, a defeat that came six months after the Mexican-American’s shock stoppage victory over the Briton. After Sunday’s main event, Wilder entered the ring at the Crypto.com Arena, and Ruiz Jr expressed his desire to fight the American next.
“If Deontay wins in October, me and him are with the same management and we can make this fight happen,” Ruiz Jr said, referencing Wilder’s upcoming bout against Robert Helenius.
“Let’s get it on. I’m hungry and I want to be champion again and bring that belt back to Mexico.”
Ruiz Jr, 32, won the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles with his TKO of Joshua three years ago, before losing them in the pair’s rematch. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Wilder – who has twice stopped Ortiz – held the WBC belt until his stoppage loss to Tyson Fury in 2020.
Wilder, who controversially drew with Fury in 2018, failed to win back the gold in a trilogy bout with the Briton last October, suffering a second straight knockout loss.
The American’s clash with Helenius on 15 October will mark his first outing since his third fight with Fury.
Wilder enters that fight with a professional record of 42-2-1 (41 knockouts), while Ruiz Jr’s record stands at 35-2 (22 KOs).
