Andy Ruiz Jr. is adamant he didn’t cherry-pick the aging Luis Ortiz and says his September 4 opponent is similar to Anthony Joshua.
“The Destroyer” took Joshua out in six rounds before losing the rematch six months later. Ruiz has fought just once since that December 2019 collision.
Making two massive purses took its toll on Ruiz’s ambition. Mexico’s first-ever top division ruler hopes a win over Ortiz leads to another title shot.
Andy Ruiz Jr
“We’re here again. I’m thankful for another opportunity,” stated Ruiz at the press conference. “We didn’t come here to cherry-pick anybody.
“We wanted a tough opponent. That’s why we picked Luis Ortiz. He’s strong, he’s awkward, he’s a lefty, but we’ve had a long training camp. We’ll be ready.”
On his solitary win over Chris Arreola in the near three years since his brief championship reign, Ruiz added: “The main thing for me is going to be staying busy.
“I’m not underestimating Luis Ortiz because he comes to fight. He wants to be a world champion. On September 4, we’ll go toe-to-toe. We’ll see who’s going to win.”
Weight
Ruiz has dropped weight once again after hiring a new strength and conditioning coach. The scales should reflect this in the 24 hours before the fight.
However, Ruiz is not as concerned as everyone else when it comes to how he looks inside the ring.
“It feels good to have this fight set. We know this isn’t going to be an easy fight. He has a different style than I’m used to, but we’ve trained hard at the gym to perfect the craft.
“He’s going to bring it. But we just have to do the best we can to get this victory and go on to win world titles. This is a big fight for me to climb back up the ladder.
“The main focus has just been training my skills. This isn’t a weightlifting contest. So I’ve been getting back to what initially made me a champion.
“I’m not here to lose weight or look the part. I just want to be the part.”
Anthony Joshua
In comparison between veteran Ortiz and his old foe Joshua, Ruiz added: “I think this is a similar fight for me to the Anthony Joshua fight, it’s just that he’s a lefty.
“We have a great team, and we’re working hard. September 4 is going to be a hell of a fight.”
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
