In the main event, Andy Ruiz knocked down Luis Ortiz three times but still barely earned a close unanimous decision in a WBC heavyweight eliminator.
Ruiz knocked Ortiz down twice in the second round and added another in round seven, but the fight played as follows- When Ruiz threw punches, he scored often and won the rounds that had more action, when Ruiz was reserved in his punches, Ortiz threw jabs and won the less than exciting rounds.
Ruiz won 114-111 on two cards and 113-112 on the final card to win the decision.
I scored it 113-112 for Ruiz as well, which means without the knockdowns, Ortiz would have won, and had he avoided one of the knockdowns, he would have salvaged a draw on my scorecard.
The fight wasn't filled with the toe to toe action that seemed likely in the pre-fight predictions and Ortiz certainly seems ripe for the picking by a younger heavyweight that will go after him and put some pressure on him but Andy Ruiz does just enough to leave you wanting more even in victory.
Ruiz looks very likely to face Deontay Wilder next in a WBC final eliminator, should Wilder defeat Robert Helenius as he is heavily favored to do in October and that would be an easy fight to sign with both fighters promoted by PBC and Wilder came into the ring after the fight to congratulate Ruiz.
The winner of the Ruiz-Wilder/Helenius bout would become the mandatory challenger in the WBC but considering the always questionable future of their champion Tyson Fury, it would not surprise me in the slightest to have that fight for what could be the vacant WBC championship.
In the co-feature, lightweight Isaac Cruz snuffed out the timed Eduardo Ramirez in two rounds in a WBC lightweight eliminator and called for a rematch with Gervonta Davis after the knockout.
Cruz knocked Ramirez down once in the second before ending the fight with a right hand that followed a big left hook to put Ramirez down on the floor without a count.
Rumors are flying about a Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia fight that could be in the works for December, which would be terrific if true but considering the rival promoters involved (Davis PBC, Garcia Golden Boy) I'll believe that when I see it.
However, Cruz is the one fighter that has fought Davis close, and considering the lack of PBC talent in the lightweight/junior welterweight division, should Davis-Garcia once again fall apart, Cruz would be the best option for Davis that would be easy to reach an agreement.
In the opener, rising lightweight star Jose Valenzuela was the victim of a surprising upset as late replacement Edwin De Los Santos stopped Valenzuela in three explosive rounds.
De Los Santos took the fight on a week's notice when former WBA junior lightweight champion Jezreel Corrales was unable to participate due to visa issues and with 13 knockouts in 14 wins and a two-round destruction of then-undefeated Luis Acosta on his record, De Los Santos was regarded to at least have a punchers chance of a major upset.
De Los Santos came out very aggressively in winning the first round and attempted to repeat that tactic in the second before Valenzuela caught him with a counter right that sent De Los Santos to the canvas.
De Los Santos wasn't hurt though and stormed back to drop Valenzuela later in the round, losing a point for hitting Valenzuela while he was down.
De Los Santos resumed his attack in the third and quickly knocked Valenzuela down for the second time and while a dazed Valenzuela rose to continue, he wobbled when hit by a De Los Santos left hook and the referee ended the surprising upset.
Valenzuela was thought to be nearing contender status so this defeat is a setback to his career and even if he returns with some wins, he will now have some chin questions to deal with for the remainder of his career.
As for Del Los Santos, with his style and power, I'd love to see him against Isaac Cruz if Gervonta Davis fights someone else and Cruz has a need for an opponent as that matchup is a guaranteed lock for action!
Former three-division champion Abner Mares returned from an eye injury and settled for a majority draw against journeyman Miguel Flores.
Mares started fast and won four of the first five rounds but tired badly in the second half of the fight.
I scored the same as two judges at 95-95 with the dissenting judge giving a 96-94 edge to Mares.
I don't see much of a future against top competition for Mares and at 36, it's easy to say what's the point in continuing at this stage with eyes that twice have been through retina surgery.
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