In a close victory that kept him on the way to the possibility to once again win the heavyweight championship, Andy Ruiz delivered just enough powerful blows to Luis Ortiz to compensate for his errors and prudence.
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Ruiz defeated Ortiz by majority decision on Sunday night after knocking him down three times.
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“I worked so hard for this fight, because I knew he’s a warrior and he hits hard,” Ruiz said. “I thought I did a beautiful job boxing him around and handling his pressure.”
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“To everyone who said that I’m old, I gave you a war today," Ortiz said. “I would want a rematch. The eye wasn’t a problem for me. Do you think I’m done after the way I fought? Do the people think I’m done? I don’t think so.”
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The Cuban opponent struggled through a severely swollen left eye and punched more accurately throughout extended periods of relative inactivity for both boxers. The Southern California native knocked down the 43-year-old Ortiz twice in the second round and once more in the seventh.
Ruiz won the fight with scores of 114–111, 114–111, and 113–112 from the judges. The knockdowns were the deciding factor in Ruiz's 114-111 score according to The Associated Press.