Andy Ruiz Jr. to face Josh Gormley on July 16

Jul

Andy Ruiz (left) vs. Sergei Liakhovich. Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Promotions

Heavyweight contender Andy Ruiz Jr. will face Josh Gormley on July 16, promoter Dmitriy Salita confirmed via email to RingTV. Ruiz will face Gormley in a 10-round bout at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan.

Ruiz (27-0, 18 knockouts) last fought on May 14, stopping former heavyweight contender Ray Austin after the fourth round.

Ruiz, who is originally from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and trains in the Las Vegas area, is currently ranked in the Top 10 among all sanctioning bodies, except the WBA.

The 26-year-old Ruiz is ranked No. 10 by THE RING magazine.

Gormley (22-4, 21 KOs) has won his last three fights, all against putrid opposition. The 41-year-old Gormley returned to the ring on Oct. 22 after a near-17-year hiatus from the ring.

The only notable name on Gormley’s pro ledger is Jorge Luis Gonzalez, who stopped Gormley in the 10^th and final round of their November 1998 bout.

Ruiz is scheduled to return to the ring eight weeks later, Sept. 10, on a Top Rank Promotions card at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California.

Top Rank matchmaker Brad Goodman told RingTV that Ruiz will headline a “Solo Boxeo Tecate” bill on that date against Franklin Lawrence.

UniMas will broadcast the fight, beginning at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

Lawrence (21-2-2, 16 KOs), who resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, has won his last nine straight.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.