Andy Ruiz Jr v Luis Ortiz preview: Clash of the heavyweight veterans

Former holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles, Andy Ruiz Jr returns to the ring again this weekend in an entertaining heavyweight match-up against Luis Ortiz.

The fight is set to go down at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, with the main event kicking off at 2am on Monday morning for British fight fans.

We preview the best of the action below.

Andy Ruiz: The Destroyer to triumph yet again?

Andy “The Destroyer” Ruiz has been an active boxer for over a decade, with a staggering record of 33-2, but his real claim to fame was his stunning knockout victory over Anthony Joshua in 2019, marking Joshua’s first defeat, and to this day his only defeat by knockout.

Since the rematch, which saw Joshua better him, the Mexican-American went on to win a unanimous decision bout against Chris Arreola, despite being knocked down in the early stages of the fight. Ruiz heads into this bout the strong favourite at 3/10 as he looks to get his winning streak back on track.

The former unified champion is a dangerous fighter, having achieved 22 of his wins via knockout, so it’s no surprise he is 5/6 to win by way of KO/TKO. As well as this impressive statistic, Ruiz is yet to be stopped, with his two losses coming by decision.

One of the biggest advantages Ruiz has heading into this fight is his age, at 32-years-old he is still 11 years younger than his opponent. This could be make the difference for the younger fighter, but will Ruiz be able to capitalise on it?

The odds suggest the fight is unlikely to go the distance, with two huge heavyweights with unimaginable power, the bout is 6/4 to go to the judges’ scorecards, and 1/2 to end within the distance.

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Luis Ortiz: Ortiz to defy the odds?

Luis “King Kong” Ortiz is the former WBA interim heavyweight champion, having held the title from 2015 to 2016, and comes into this bout off back-to-back knockout wins. His record stands at an equally impressive 33-2, with 28 wins by knockout. Both of his losses came against veteran heavyweight Deontay Wilder, with the American having knockout out Ortiz both times, although one of these was a technical knockout.

The Cuban will have a few advantages at his disposal however, with the edge in height at 6’4 and the edge in reach as well at an extra four inches. As well as this, his southpaw stance may prove tricky work for his orthodox opponent.

Despite being the heavy underdog at 12/5, it’s hard to dispute Ortiz’s elite resume, with wins over some of the best in the division. Regardless of his 28 knockouts, Ortiz is priced at 11/2 to win by KO/TKO, which may be considered a decent price by some fans considering his 76% knockout rate.

Despite being the much older fighter there is no doubt Ortiz is still incredibly dangerous and powerful. Either way this fight shapes up it will be wildly entertaining to watch, and fight fans all across the globe will be tuning in to catch the action.

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