Andy Ruiz, who is on a path toward redemption, has a dangerous fight against Luis Ortiz on Sunday night, but the former heavyweight champion is also looking far ahead at a potential megabout versus Deontay Wilder.

It’s hard to blame Ruiz because he only has one victory in the past three years, which came against Chris Arreola in May 2021, a bout that was sandwiched in between two 16-month layoffs.

Multiple paths are a good sign for a fighter trying to stay on the road to redemption. Ruiz’s (34-2) return to the ring will headline a Fox pay-per-view event at Crypto.com Arena Sunday against 43-year-old Ortiz (33-2-2) in Los Angeles.

“People wanted to see this fight, and I thought it was a perfect fight,” Ruiz said. “I know it was going to be a dangerous fight, but I have the abilities to win this fight. We like challenges.”

Ortiz, a hard-hitting southpaw, will be a challenge for Ruiz. The Cuban fighter has 28 knockout victories, and his power punches hurt Wilder multiple times in their two bouts.

Ruiz has similar power, which he used during his stunning victory over Anthony Joshua in 2019. The knockout put Ruiz into the spotlight and he became a household name. He is 1,100 days removed from that victory and now needs to prove that he is one of the best heavyweights in the division to have a showdown with Wilder.

The division has changed since the two-fight rivalry between Joshua and Ruiz.

Before their first encounter, Joshua was known as a brawler who wasn’t afraid to mix it up. Ruiz dropped him numerous times, and that could explain why Joshua has had a safer fighting style in the ring. Joshua is coming off two straight losses to Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk with the most recent fight happening two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia.

“I had so many messages on Instagram and texts saying, ‘You messed up his style before you fought him, he used to be super aggressive, and he was a monster,’” Ruiz said.

With Usyk taking care of Joshua, it has left the door open for an undisputed championship match against Tyson Fury. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of the contenders can’t fight each other, such as Wilder against Ruiz.

“It’s an easy fight to be made,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz needs to beat Ortiz on Sunday, while Wilder will need to handle his business against Robert Helenius on Oct. 15 at Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, New York.

Since 2019, Ruiz has had three different trainers. Manny Robles and Ruiz parted ways after the loss to Joshua. In May 2020, Ruiz joined “Team Canelo” with trainer Eddie Reynoso, who helped Ruiz lose significant weight and get into the best shape of his life.

He beat Arreola with Reynoso in his corner, but that was a one-match relationship because of a difference in fighting philosophy. Reynoso’s fighters are often counter punchers, while Ruiz is an aggressor. Ruiz made the surprising announcement that he had left “Team Canelo” and hired Rafael Osuna to prepare him for the Ortiz bout.

“We’re focused,” Ruiz said. “We’re in the gym every single day.”

Wilder and Ruiz seemed to be headed on a collision course to face each other if Ruiz could have beaten Joshua the second time. Wilder has gone through his own hardships, being knocked out twice by Fury.

Wilder recently predicted that Ortiz would win in “devastating fashion” when asked in a recent interview.

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“That is his Compa (friend),” Ruiz said about Wilder choosing Ortiz to win. “I think everybody has a plan until they get hit. He’s not the one in there fighting for him, and everybody has their own prediction, but at the end of the day, whoever wants to fight the most is going to win that fight.”

A victory on Sunday could catapult Ruiz back to the top of the heavyweight picture. He is only 32, and he knows he has options if he is able to get past a dangerous Ortiz.

“I’m really hungry because I know what I’m capable of doing,” Ruiz explained. “I know exactly what to do and what not to do when I get those belts back.”

Fight Night

Who: Ruiz vs Ortiz

When: Sunday Night

Where: Crypto.com Arena

TV: Fox PPV, 6 p.m.