ANDY RUIZ JR has shown off his breathtaking hand speed as he prepares for a heavyweight showdown with Luis Ortiz.
The Mexican-American, 32, will take on the experienced Cuban, 43, in Los Angeles on September 3.
And he seems to be in good shape ahead of the contest with less than two weeks to go until fight night.
Ruiz’ Jr’s promoters PBC showcased a clip of him training in the gym as he rattled off some furiously quick punches on the pads.
He is looking to position himself for a huge fight or world championship bout – with opponent Ortiz’s only defeats coming at the hands of Deontay Wilder.
Ruiz Jr has lost to Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua, but did make history for Mexico in 2019 when he became the country’s first ever heavyweight champion.
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He stunned AJ by dropping him four times on the way to a KO victory in New York – one of the biggest ever shocks in boxing’s blue-riband division.
However, over the six months that followed Ruiz piled on the pounds and failed to train properly.
He subsequently lost the belts in Saudi Arabia at the end of 2019 as Joshua outboxed him over 12 rounds.
Ruiz then spent nearly 18 months out of the ring as he recovered from the devastating loss to AJ.
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But he returned to action in May 2021, securing a unanimous decision victory over Chris Arreola.
However, he was dropped in the second round of that contest, so there remains question marks over his sharpness.
If Ruiz comes through the tough challenge of Ortiz, he has been linked with a showdown against Wilder next year.
Both Ruiz and Wilder are promoted by PBC – making a clash between the two a logical fight to make.
Wilder is set to return to action for the first time since his second loss to Tyson Fury when he faces Robert Helenius on October 15.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
