Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. dropped Luis Ortiz three-times en-route to a 12-round unanimous decision at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
In round two, Ruiz landed a quick and powerful right hand that sent Ortiz to the canvas. Ortiz was wobbly and went down again from a flurry of punches. Ortiz was able to steady himself and landed some hard lefts in the round.
In round seven, Ruiz floored Ortiz with a right to the top of the head. In round 11, the left eye of Ortiz began to shut. Many rounds did not have a ton of action, but when there was, both guys threw power shots with the intentions of ending the fight. Ortiz made one last final stand in the final round, but it was not enough as Ruiz won by scores of 114-111 twice and 113-112.
Ruiz landed 76 of 267 punches; Ortiz was 78 of 428.
Ruiz, 269 lbs of Imperial, CA is now 35-2. Ortiz, 245.5 lbs of Camuguay, CUB is 33-3.
“Everyone was doubting me, but I worked so hard for this fight,” said Ruiz. “Ortiz is a warrior who hits hard. I did a beautiful job boxing him around. I showed more class than I usually do just coming forward.”
“I told you I was going to be a warrior and that’s what I did,” said Ortiz. “This is Cuba vs. Mexico. This is what I live for. To everyone who said that I’m old, I gave you a war today. There are always surprises in boxing, and that’s what you got if you didn’t think I’d give it my all.”
“It was a difficult fight,” said Ruiz. “I was waiting for him to load up and countering him when he did. It was a blessing we were able to be successful.”
“If Deontay Wins in October, me and him are with the same management and we can make this fight happen,” said Ruiz Jr. “Let’s do it. Let’s get it on. I’m hungry and I want to be champion again and bring that belt back to Mexico.”
“Deontay Wilder is back and I’m always looking for great exciting fights for the fans,” said Wilder. “If Andy Ruiz Jr. is what’s next, then I’m ready to get it on.”
Isaac Cruz Takes Out Ramirez in 2
Isaac Cruz destroyed Eduardo Ramirez in round two of a scheduled 12-round lightweight bout.
In round two, Cruz landed a huge left hook that dropped Ramirez face-first.. Later in the round, Cruz landed a vicious four-point combination that sent Ramirez down again and the fight was over at 2:27.
Cruz, 135 lbs of Mexico City is 24-2-1 with 17 knockouts. Ramirez, 134.5 lbs of Los Mochis, MEX is 27-3-1.
“I was ready to win at all costs, for my family and what better way to win than here in front of all the great fans in Los Angeles,” said Cruz.”
“I lost and I have to accept that,” said Ramirez. “I’ll get better and move forward. I felt like I was fighting well and then everything turned all of a sudden. That’s just boxing. Now I’m going to rest, recover and plan my next moves going forward. But I’ll definitely be back, you can count on that.”
“We want the rematch with Gervonta Davis,” said Cruz. “That’s what these fans want. I promised the knockout tonight and we got it done.”
Mares and Flores Battle to Draw
Former world champion Abner Mares came back from a four-plus year layoff but was only to get a 10-round majority draw with Miguel Flores.
It was a high-contact fight that saw Mares fight well early, with Flores coming on late.
Mares landed 151 of 652 punches; Flores was 124 of 665.
Scores were 96-94 and 95-95 twice,
Mares, 134 lbs of Guadalajara, MEX is 31-3-2. Flores, 135 lbs of Mirella, MEX is 25-4-1.
“Obviously it had been over four years, so I was a little off with my timing and a little sluggish,” said Mares. “But I felt good and I thought I was landing the more powerful shots throughout.”
“It was a good fight and obviously I thought that I pulled it off,” said Flores. “I know we’re in his hometown and he’s a veteran so it is what it is. He was trying to pot shot me, but I was catching most of it. He got me with a couple good shots early on but I felt like I was in control after the fourth round.”
“It was a great atmosphere,” said Flores. “It’s hard to not let the crowd get you carried away. I know they were cheering for me too by the end. This leaves me in a great position. We got a draw against a three-division world champion so it leaves a good taste in your mouth.”
“After four years away I did enough to beat a young kid and an active fighter,” said Mares. “My performance speaks for itself. The crowd was happy and it felt good to be home. I definitely felt like I won but it is what it is, the judges saw a draw.”
Edwin De Los Santos Stops Valenzuela in 3
Late-replacement Edwin De Los Santos shocked previously undefeated Jose Valenzuela in round three of their 10-round lightweight bout.
In a wild round two, Valenzuela dropped De Los Santos with a hard left hand. Seconds later, De Los Santos scored a hard knock down with a hard right hook that set up a flurry that was punctuated by another right hook his own. De Los Santos was deducted a point as he hit Valenzuela when he was down. In round three, De Los Santos dropped Valenzuela again with a hard right hook. Moments later, De Los Santos rocked Valenzuela with a hard right hook and the fight was stopped at 1:08.
De Los Santos, 134 lbs of Santo Domingo, DR is 15-1 with 14 knockouts. Valenzuela, 134.5 lbs of Los Mochis, MX is 12-1.
“Valenzuela is a fighter who I feel has been protected and I wanted to show everyone what I’m capable of,” said De Los Santos. “The plan wasn’t to come forward so much, but when I saw how he was fighting, I was ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mexican fighters love to fight like that, but he was open for me to attack.”
“I didn’t expect De Los Santos to be as aggressive as he was in the fight,” said Valenzuela. “He gave it out as he good as he took. I just want to focus on getting back in the ring and redeeming myself.”
“I came in against a ranked fighter tonight and I was up for the task,” said De Los Santos. “Now I want the same name that everyone wants. I want Gervonta Davis.”
Joey Spencer Decisions Salgado
Joey Spencer remained undefeated with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Kevin Salgado.
Spencer landed 79 of 395; Salgado was 54 of 422.
Spencer, 154.5 lbs of Grand Blane, MI won by scores of 99-91 twice and 100-90 and is now 16-0. Salgado, 153.2 lbs of Mexico City is 14-1-1.
“He’s a hard-hitting counter puncher, so we wanted to control the distance,” said Spencer. “I feel really strong. I’m really proud of the work that we put into my conditioning and I think it showed in the fight. I’m improving as I get more experience, and that helps me stay more composed in these fights. I’m going to keep adding to my game as I get more comfortable. I’m definitely working towards improving as an offensive fighter.”
“I have a couple ideas of who I want to fight next,” said Spencer. “Tony Harrison, Tim Tszyu, Erickson Lubin and Sebastian Fundora are all guys I want to fight. I want to face the best. There’s one champion in the division and we have to fight each other to get to him.”
Aleem Shuts out Plania
Ra’eese Aleem remained undefeated and tuned up for a world title fight by winning a 10-round unanimous decision over Mike Plania in a super bantamweight.
In round two, Aleem landed a right hand that had Plania stumbling which was ruled a knockdown.
Aleem landed 134 of 592 punches; Plania was 47 of 345.
Aleem, 121.5 lbs of Muskegon, MI won by scores of 100-89 on all cards and is now 20-0. Plania, 122 lbs of General Santos City, PHL is 26-2.
“The fight was everything that I expected,” said Aleem. He’s a very tough fighter and a great competitor. I just wanted to fight a smart fight, because we know he’s dangerous. Although I didn’t feel his power, I know that he can hit. I just wanted to take my time and let everything fall into place.”
“It’s time for ‘scared boy’ Stephen Fulton Jr. to come out of hiding and sign the contract,” said Aleem. “Let’s get in there so I can give him his first loss. It would be a closer fight than tonight, but I still expect to dominate and get the win.”
Anthony Garnica remained undefeated with a six-round majority decision over Jose Lopez in a super bantamweight fight.
Garnica, 123.4 lbs of Oakland, CA won by scores of 59-55 twice and 57-57 and is now 10-0-1. Lopez, 127.5 lbs of Dallas, TX is 17-11.
Former world heavyweight champion Charles Martin battered and bloodied former United States Olympian Devin Vargas in his way to a fourth round stoppage in a scheduled eight-round bout.
The time of the stoppage was 1:59.
Martin, 250 lbs of Saint Louis, MO is 29-3-1 with 26 knockouts. Vargas, 243 lbs of Toledo, OH is 22-8.
