Luis Ortiz is ready for war against Andy Ruiz Jr.

Luis Ortiz faces Andy Ruiz Jr. on Sunday, live from the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles.

As we approach the holiday weekend, Premier Boxing Champions returns Sunday night to bring you heavyweight boxing on FOX PPV. Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. (34-2) faces the battle-tested Luis Ortiz (33-2) for an opportunity to fight for the WBC title in the near future. With both men having world-class experience under their belt, this fight brings a certain level of intrigue. Ruiz Jr. wants to return to a championship path, while Ortiz avoids being punched into retirement.

Ortiz, from Camaguey, Cuba, and resides in Miami, was considered the “boogeyman” of the heavyweight division for some years as his movement and punching power was a lethal combination. In 2018, he gave former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder (42-2-1) a run for his money until he fell victim to that powerful right hand. Ortiz earned a rematch against Wilder in 2019 and was having success until he was caught once again by the right hand, which ended the fight.

After his November 2020 KO victory over Alexander Flores (18-3-1), Ortiz took 13 months off before returning to the ring. He faced Charles Martin on New Year’s Day and was victorious by way of TKO in the sixth round. So who is Ortiz in 2022? “Luis Ortiz in 2022 is a man with the same expectations: to become the heavyweight champion. I’m a man that is always ready. My trainer knows; I work hard every day as if my fight was tomorrow,” said the 43-year-old heavyweight contender.

Luis Ortiz vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. will be streamed live on FOX Sports PPV and the FOX Sports App.

Yes, Ortiz is 43 and isn’t shy to admit it to those who ask. The running joke on social media is that he is a lot older than what is stated on BoxRec, but he is a good sport about it when you bring it up to him. Regardless, it has to be difficult to compete at a high level when father time is knocking on your head like Biff would do to Marty McFly in Back to the Future. When asked about his age and motivation, Ortiz smiled and said, “How old are you? Do you believe in yourself? The person that doesn’t believe in themselves isn’t going to make it anywhere in life. When you have a strong mind and dream big, those are the people you must be aware of.”

When getting into the topic of training camp, Ortiz first made it a point to say that all of his fights are difficult and that the easiest thing to go through after training camp is the fight itself. He has kept his team, and the location of his training camp the same, which is in Las Vegas, NV, under the watchful eye of Herman Caicedo, who is in charge of getting him ready for the fight against Ruiz Jr. Having training camp in Las Vegas does come with a price as he has to be separated from his family so that he can solely focus on the task at hand.

That task is a former unified champion who appears to be hungrier than ever to regain something that was once his, which is the heavyweight crown. Ortiz is just as hungry and always looks to close the show before the sound of the final bell. Ortiz told FanSided, “What I am looking forward to is for the referee to finish talking and ringing the bell so we can find out what will happen in the fight.”

With Ortiz in his forties, the question had to be asked on how much longer he looks to lace up the gloves. Ortiz said, “I don’t know. I train alongside some young guys, and they laugh and make jokes when I beat them the first time. But then I keep beating them and telling them to ‘come on, let’s go’ (laughs). I love the sport of boxing.” That doesn’t sound like a fighter ready to hang up the gloves anytime soon.

Ortiz does have a message for those tuning in Sunday night on FOX PPV. “For those that do and don’t know me, I am a boxer that likes to go after his objectives, and that is to win. I’m not here to win by decision because it is too much work. When I climb into the ring, my mentality is for me to knock you out or get knocked out. When a fighter looks into my eyes, he knows I’m going there with bad intentions. I’m not here to bore anyone and have them sitting down for twelve rounds watching me fight. It’ll be a war all the way through if it goes twelve rounds.”