In a 12-round heavyweight bout, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Luis Ortiz meet Sunday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The card is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports Pay-per-view. Below, we analyze the Ruiz Jr. vs. Ortiz odds and lines, with expert boxing picks and predictions.
Ruiz Jr. stunned the world with an upset win over Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden in New York back in June 2019. It was even more surprising because Ruiz took the fight on short notice. However, he was not in the greatest of shape for in the rematch 6 months later and lost the belt via unanimous decision in in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz bounced back, apparently hungry to get a chance at the belt again, topping Chris Arreola via unanimous decision in Carson, Calif., in May 2021.
The 43-year-old Ortiz won his past 2 fights, defeating Alexander Flores (November 2020) and Charles Martin (January 2022). The win over Martin was a TKO victory on New Year’s Day in Hollywood, Fla.
Ortiz needed the assistance of the judges to determine a winner in just 1 of his previous 9 fights, a unanimous-decision victory over Christian Hammer in Brooklyn back in March 2019. Ortiz has 7 KO/TKO wins during the span, and a TKO loss to Deontay Wild in March 2018.
Ruiz Jr. vs. Ortiz odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:19 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Ruiz Jr. -420 (bet $420 to win $100) | Ortiz +270 (bet $100 to win $270)
- Over/Under: 9.5 rounds (Over +105 | Under -145)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +155 | No -240)
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Ruiz Jr. vs. Ortiz picks and predictions
Records: Ruiz Jr. (34-2-0, 22 KOs) | Ortiz (33-2-0, 28 KOs)
Fight result (2-way line or money line)
Ruiz Jr. (-420) – also known as “The Destroyer” – will cost you more than 4 times your potential return betting him straight up. He has been a title holder, but his past 2 fights have been rather mediocre. He was out of shape in the rematch with Joshua, and he did the bare minimum to get by Arreola last time out in May.
ORTIZ (+270) is a power puncher, and that’s dangerous for Ruiz. The former champ isn’t going to be able to just sleep walk through this one. Ortiz is going to bring the fight to him early and often, looking to put the Ruiz to sleep. The value play is taking a chance on ORTIZ (+270), but don’t get carried away.
Over/Under (O/U)
Ruiz has had a penchant for going the distance lately, with just 2 of his past 8 fights ending inside the distance. Ortiz is the complete opposite as he looks to inflict pain early. He is a punching machine, who doesn’t like to leave his fate in the hands of the judges.
UNDER 9.5 ROUNDS (-145) is worth a small-unit play.
I like Ortiz to win, and if he wins, it will be by way of knockout.
No (-240): Fight to go the distance is too expensive, so don’t bother with that market.
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