By: Sean Crose
In fact, he was a last-minute substitute. WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight Anthony Joshua is set to make his US debut against colorful Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller at Madison Square Garden. Big Baby, however, made big news when he tested positive for drugs shortly before the fight. And so, with little time left before Joshua’s scheduled heavyweight defense, the promoters realized they needed a challenger. Follow in the footsteps of Andy Ruiz, a boxer with quick hands and a single, controversial loss on his résumé. Sure, some might argue, the man won’t be at his best in the short term, but the blows to the top really don’t come around too often. Ruiz understood that, and entered the ring on June night ready for action. Or at least willing to act as he can reasonably be forewarned.
And then he stunned the fighting world.
After being dropped by Joshua in the third round, fast forehand Ruiz stood up and defeated Joshua in kind. Twice. By the time the bell rang to end the round, each man had been shaken. However, it was Joshua who suffered the serious damage. For the remainder of the seventh round, the towering heavyweight was simply overtaken by Ruiz. After being dropped two more times in the seventh round, Joshua was saved by the referee, who wisely stopped the bout.
It was a glorious moment for Ruiz – but it didn’t last long. Six months later, an overweight, under-exercised Ruiz showed up for a rematch with Joshua in Saudi Arabia, looking far from a star. Suffice it to say, Joshua, who got the job done before, overcame his once-conqueror and returned home to London with the WBA, IBF and WBO belts safely back. As for Ruiz – he not only lost his battles and titles, but his reputation was also badly affected. Comparisons to James “Buster” Douglas abound. It was at the end of 2019. Since then, Ruiz has only fought once, and that was in May of last year.
However, now the 32-year-old boxer with a 34-2 record is making a comeback. The headline of Sunday night’s pay-per-view event via Fox and PBC, Ruiz will face longtime contender Luis Ortiz in a scheduled round of 12 at LA’s Cryptocom Arena. It’s a fun main event, if not a decent pay-per-view, one that has a lot to do with each fighter. Ortiz, who lost in two attempts to win the world championship to Deontay Wilder, is now 40 years old and can’t afford another big loss to move on. On the other hand, Ruiz would have largely been considered a major player in the heavyweight division had he not left the ring in victory.
Sure, the trained Ruiz looked sharp, his punches were quick, his demeanor was steady. There’s no telling if he’ll win on Sunday, but the man at least looks like he’s fighting seriously. Fans and analysts will assume that’s a good sign, as Ruiz’s discipline has been in place for a long time. He’s a good fighter, Ruiz. It will be interesting to see how he takes on Ortiz this Sunday night. At his best, Ruiz is a tough night’s work for anyone.
His best ability.
