That allowed him to win the vacant WBC junior welterweight title by easily outpointing Amir Imam in 2018 and make four successful defenses going into his showdown with Taylor. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes . [2] Ruiz has explained that his nickname, 'Destroyer', was acquired before he started boxing, because as a child, "I was always destroying stuff. In round seven, Ruiz knocked Joshua down once again with a short sequence of heavy blows. The fans. Those questions arent easy to answer given the depth of talent south of the U.S. border, where only soccer is more popular than the sweet science. Soto can similarly get better in the next 12 months and earn unification fights against the other titleholders. Ruiz had his next three fights of 2010 also in the U.S., defeating Miles Kelly via KO, Raymond Lopez via unanimous decision and Francisco Diaz via KO. Boxing is a particular means of demonstrating rivalry not only between fans of individual boxers, but also between native-born Mexicans, between Mexicans and people of other nations, and between the populations of various Mexican regions.[2]. Alas, only one judge agreed with me and Burns retained his belt on a split-decision draw. Soto is still developing, getting better, and he showed as much in his last world title fight, against Heno in October, when he was briefly dropped to a knee in the third round but then recovered to earn a unanimous decision victory. Winning a world title is possible for Villa once he gets more experience over the next two years, but until then, he will be a tough title contender. Accomplishments/biggest moment: While he started out slow in his defeat against Jamel Herring -- a fight for the WBO 130-pound title back in November -- Roach had some nice moments late in the fight. The jury is still out on what Munguia can accomplish but he seems to have the tools to succeed on the highest level. He also has a victory over capable Maurice Hooker, who he stopped in six rounds in July 2019. The fighter: Lopez is rated No. He should remain a player at junior lightweight for the next few years. In time, and depending on which division Canelo and an aging Gennadiy Golovkin are operating at, Munguia is a potential global middleweight ruler. In putting together a list of the best 25 fighters under the age of 25, Ortiz was an obvious selection. Insiders have believed for a while that he is the next standout from the fighting city of Philadelphia. They are known for their blend of brute force, punishing punches and quick feet. You could argue that Garcia is boxing's first Instagram creation. Future/ceiling/expectations: Such an incredible amateur record, as well as his youth, makes Morrell almost a certainty to win a world title. Meanwhile, Juan Francisco Estrada and Oscar Valdez are among the best Mexican boxers right now. Birth: Feb. 13, 1967 -- Parkinson. And the stakes of a potential Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk matchup undisputed heavyweight championship are massive. Fundora has demonstrated that hes more than just a physical freak. They are known as some of the greatest Hispanic boxers of all time. BIGGEST WINNER Birth / death: July 2, 2016 / May 31, 1970 Weight class: Super middleweight. Stevenson might be the most skillful boxer on the planet. Win", "DiBella Drops Hamer For Quitting on The Stool, Again", "Andy Ruiz To Face Liakhovich on December 20 in Phoenix", "Andy Ruiz Tops Siarhei Liakhovich In Lumbering Affair", "Andy Ruiz Fractured Right Hand With Liakhovich", "Andy Ruiz Now Training With Abel Sanchez in Big Bear", "Andy Ruiz Decisions Late Replacement Godfrey", "Ruiz Jr, Zewski Win Big; Gradovich Survives Scare", "Andy Ruiz Ready To Tackle Wide Open Division After Ray Austin", "Andy Ruiz, Esquiva Falcao, Maxim Dadashev Get KO Wins", "Joshua Gormley To Face Andy Ruiz on July 16, Detroit", "Andy Ruiz Blasts Out Josh Gormley in Three Rounds", "Andy Ruiz vs. Franklin Lawrence on September 10, UniMas", "Andy Ruiz Decisions Lawrence, Hughie Fury Appears To Be Next - Boxing News", "Hughie Fury to face Andy Ruiz Jr on Fury-Klitschko bill", "Ruiz Jr. pulls out of fight against Fury", "Joseph Parker versus Andy Ruiz Jr. for vacant WBO heavyweight title", "Tyson Fury set to be stripped of WBO title over 'inactivity' and drug claims", "Joseph Parker to target WBO title instead of Anthony Joshua", "Parker-Ruiz in talks but unclear if vacant title would be at stake", "Fight statistics show how Joseph Parker beat Andy Ruiz to win WBO title", "WBO heavyweight title: Joseph Parker wins title vacated by Tyson Fury", "Joseph Parker scores knockout win over Anthony Joshua in United States TV ratings fight", "Andy Ruiz To Return on 2/3, Now Working With Memo Heredia", "Andy Ruiz Feels Recharged, Hunger is Back, Eager For 3/10 Return", "Oscar Valdez vs. Scott Quigg - LIVE Results From StubHub", "Andy Ruiz Jr purse: How much will Anthony Joshua challenger earn from fight? Accomplishments/biggest moment: Harper announced herself as an elite fighter with an outstanding unanimous decision win over Eva Wahlstrom in February. The Los Angeles fighter doesnt have special knockout power but that hasnt prevented him from succeeding on a high level. This Mexican fighter is probably the most complete Latin American boxer at this moment. Birth / death: May 10, 1966 / June 7, 2011 Joshua boxed a disciplined fight, keeping Ruiz at a distance with his jab and using lateral movement to avoid trading punches up close as he had in their first encounter. Before that, he held a major 126-pound title for more than three years. He's right-handed but has power in both hands. Lets hold off writing his boxing obituary. But the three-division world champion's resume prior to that setback is just too good to overlook based on getting caught one time against another great fighter. [43], Discussions and negotiations began after Fury was expected to be stripped of his WBO belt over inactivity and testing positive for cocaine. Now based in Minneapolis, the 22-year-old southpaw has two knockouts from as many professional fights since turning pro a year ago. The fact is hes one of the best Mexican fighters of all time. But as long as he is still officially active, he has to be regarded as the top Mexican pound-for-pound boxer. Years active: 1988-2011 Ruiz won the fight via a first-round knockout (KO). Figueroa's last fight -- a draw against Ceja -- was an entertaining slugfest when the Texan, who is known as "The Heartbreaker," showed plenty of heart, which left viewers wanting more. The Mexican-American former UFC champion is one of the few fighters to become a UF C double champion (ruling two divisions simultaneously). Ortiz scored stoppage victories in all four of his fights in 2019, and this year was supposed to be when he made the jump to title contender in a stacked welterweight division and he's only 22. In July, he handed Milan Melindo his first professional loss. Despite being outboxed by Ortiz for portions of the fight, Ruiz dropped his opponent three times, twice in the second round and once in the seventh. 10. As a boxer, he competed from 1992 to 2008, winning multiple world titles in six weight classes, including the lineal championship in three weight classes. Facebook Logo Twitter Logo The two-division titleholder from Sonora is a superb boxer-puncher, as he has demonstrated repeatedly at an elite level. Lost to: Bobby Chacon, Salvador Sanchez (twice) Years active: 1940-55 Birth: Dec. 15, 1987 Retained WBO Inter-Continental and WBC-NABF heavyweight titles. Also, he's the only double champion who was an Olympic gold medalist as well (he won the gold medal in . Johnson did not do much apart from throw a strong jab from time to time. Ruizs moment came in June 2019, when he stunned the boxing world by knocking out Anthony Joshua in seven rounds to become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent. Lost to: Floyd Mayweather, Joel Casamayor (twice), Jose Luis Castillo, Joshua Clottey [21], On March 23, 2012, Ruiz fought his first eight-round fight, outpointing Homero Fonseca. Future/ceiling/expectations: Conwell has yet to go 12 rounds and needs more experience against other contenders looking to secure a title shot. Win those fights and Figueroa, who has a dangerous right hook, will be eyeing big paydays against the likes of Danny Roman, WBC champion Rey Vargas and WBA-IBF champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev. Birth: Nov. 25, 1965 There has been a critical error on this website. However, strictly from a quality-vs.-quality standpoint, it doesnt get better than Crawford vs. Spence for all four welterweight belts. Stevenson might be the most skillful boxer on the planet. ", "Andy Ruiz Confirms He is in The Mix To Face Anthony Joshua", "Andy Ruiz Emerges as Frontrunner in Joshua Sweepstakes", "Team Ruiz Confirm Deal Nearly Finalized To Face Anthony Joshua", "Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz - Finalized For June 1, MSG", "Joshua vs Ruiz Jr: Anthony Joshua's opponent confirmed as Andy Ruiz Jr for US debut in New York", "Joshua to fight short-notice foe Ruiz on June 1", "Andy Ruiz Jr. Becomes First Heavyweight Champ of Mexican Descent", "Anthony Joshua Upset by Andy Ruiz Jr. in Stunning Seventh-Round Knockout", "Joshua vs Klitschko UK PPV record obliterated by Ruiz 2 principle, not Saudi rematch", "Anthony Joshua dominates Andy Ruiz for decision win, now a two-time heavyweight titleholder", "Andy Ruiz can never live down his failed approach to Joshua rematch", "Ruiz Jr vs Joshua 2: Andy Ruiz wants to face Anthony Joshua a third time after losing rematch", "Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Chris Arreola: Date, fight time, TV channel and live stream | DAZN News US", "Andy Ruiz Jr. rallies from knockdown to get unanimous decision over Chris Arreola | DAZN News US", "Andy Ruiz beats Luis Ortiz via unanimous decision after three knockdowns as Deontay Wilder welcomes all-American heavyweight clash", "Ruiz Jr wants Wilder fight after beating Ortiz", "Imperial County Boxer Andy Ruiz Jr. Wins Heavyweight World Championship", "Andy Ruiz Proves that Round is also a Shape in Heavyweight Boxing", "Andy Ruiz carries his Mexican heritage into the ring against Anthony Joshua. Future/ceiling/expectations: Colbert will hopefully get a chance to win the full version of the WBA title against Rene Alvarado down the line. [12] His 105 wins include two Mexican National Junior Olympics gold medals[14] and a title at the Ringside World Championships. When referee Jon SchorledisqualifiedMolina in March 2012, in a fight he was clearly winning, I thought it was one of the most absurd things I'd everseen in a boxing ring.