Leo Ruiz wants to mix it up against the best fighters at 154 pounds.
Ruiz is coming off a one-sided unanimous decision over Alejandro Davila this past Saturday night at Sala Urbana in Naucalpan, Mexico.
Ruiz was the more effective fighter throughout the fight against Davila (23-6-2, 9 KOs) of Mexico City, as he was the more fluid boxer and varied his offense. Ruiz also turned on the body of Davila, who lost by knockout to Serhii Bohachuk in September 2020.
Scores were 100-90, 99-91 and 98-93 for Ruiz, who improved to 15-0, 8 knockouts.
In his previous fight on April 6, Ruiz defeated Oziel Santoyo by unanimous decision. On August 23 of last year, Ruiz defeated Raul Garcia by split decision in a clash of undefeated junior middleweight prospects.
Ruiz’s trainer, Robert Garcia, believes he is also ready for that next step.
“I’m very pleased with his performance,” Garcia told The Ring on Tuesday. “Next fight will be in December and after that he will be ready to step it up and challenge contenders.”
The 25-year-old Ruiz, who is originally from Zacatecas, Mexico and now lives in San Bernardino, California, trains out of the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in nearby Riverside. Working with Garcia and sparring with some of the best fighters in the world over the last few years has allowed Ruiz to develop his skills in the ring.
Ruiz sparred against undefeated junior middleweight contender Vergil Ortiz, Jr., former unified world junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez, former multiple weight class world titleholder Mikey Garcia and fringe contender Josesito Lopez.
According to Garcia, he is one of the first to arrive at the gym and spends at least three hours on fitness, footwork and being more fluid with his combinations.
“He works really hard,” Garcia said.
Should he fight in December, as originally planned, Ruiz would have fought three times this year. He fought three times in 2023.
With the junior middleweight division being one of the most competitive in the sport, Ruiz hopes to continue to make a name for himself and challenge the top fighters in the weight class.
“I’m trying my best to work myself up to be seen as a contender, move up to 10 rounds, and fight good and experienced opponents,” Ruiz told The Ring last week.
“The statement I (was) trying to make on Saturday is just that I’m a fighter who has a future, to be a world champion, and (a) serious contender (who) is hungry to be at the top fetch.”
In the main event of the card promoted by Mariana Caballero and streamed on DAZN, ESPN+ and TyC Sports, edge welterweight contender Julio Luna of Gomez Palacio, Mexico knocked out Oliver Quintana in the fifth round. Luna, who improved to 23-1-2, 13 KOs, has won his last four fights since losing by decision to Giovani Santillan in August 2022.
Quintana, who lives in Mexicali, Mexico, falls to 21-3, 16 KOs.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at (email protected)
