ANDY RUIZ JR has set himself up for a massive fight against Deontay Wilder or a trilogy with Anthony Joshua after returning with a win.
The Mexican-American dropped Luis Ortiz THREE times on the way to a unanimous points win in Los Angeles.
And Ruiz is ready to build on the win by aiming to stay active against the heavyweight division’s best.
So here, SunSport takes a look at five fights on the cards for Ruiz, 32, following victory over Ortiz, 43.
Deontay Wilder
The former WBC champion was ringside to watch Ruiz beat the man he twice brutally knocked out.
It was a WBC title eliminator, something Wilder, 36, will also compete in when he returns against Robert Helenius, 38, on October 15.
Meaning if Wilder wins, he is in line to fight Ruiz in what would be an expected final eliminator for the belt held by Tyson Fury, 34.
And with the pair both under the PBC banner, it makes the mega-fight even more of a reality.
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Anthony Joshua
Ruiz first held gold when he shocked Joshua, 32, in June 2019 with an upset stoppage win.
But he lost both the belts and the rematch six months later in their Saudi Arabia sequel.
Ruiz has held out for a trilogy fight ever since but AJ went on to twice lose to Oleksandr Usyk, 35.
And while Joshua is faced with a rebuilding job, the time could be now for the old rivals to renew their series for a trilogy decider.
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Luis Ortiz rematch
Despite the knockdowns, Ortiz pushed Ruiz all the way and would have even won on the cards had be not been floored.
He refused to retire afterwards and called for a second fight.
If Ruiz is all out of options, due to the Cuban also being under PBC, it makes a rerun easy to negotiate.
Ortiz said: “I want a rematch. I was keeping my hands up but the eye wasn’t a problem.”
Dillian Whyte
These two have a history and were in line to fight in 2020 before talks broke down.
Whyte, 34, was knocked out by Tyson Fury, also 34, in April and now finds himself on comeback trail again.
The British contender has never wanted anything less than the best on offer, so the Ruiz fight is sure to appeal to him.
And Whyte is technically a promotional and TV network free agent, meaning he is able to cross over to enemy lines.
Derek Chisora
Chisora, 38, returned to winning ways in July beating Kubrat Pulev, 41, in their July barnburner.
And the veteran is not interested in even acknowledging retirement as he looks for another big night and payday.
Ruiz was among the names promoter Eddie Hearn wanted to match Chisora up with.
But his alliance to Hearn could make negotiating any fight with any PBC star hard work.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
