An attractive heavyweight matchup remains in play but now is on the move.

BoxingScene.com has learned that the previously agreed-upon showdown between Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz will now take place September 4—a Sunday—as opposed to a previously targeted August 13 Fox Sports Pay-Per-View from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

A location was not specified for the now-rescheduled heavyweight clash. A hold was placed for August 13 at Crypto.com Arena, which is currently available on September 4.

The rare Sunday evening show stays in tradition with past PBC on Fox events, regularly hosting a card on the eve of Labor Day. It is believed that the fight will still headline a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View, with a lead-in telecast on Fox prime.

Ruiz himself revealed the new date while addressing what was billed as the biggest boxing class in the world in the town center square (El Zocalo) of Mexico City, as captured via video by Mexico-based multi-platform boxing reporter Erika Montoya.

Representatives from Premier Boxing Champions did not return a message seeking clarification, though it is also PBC policy to not discuss fights that are not yet announced. Ortiz’s team declined comment or even any knowledge of the date switch, though one sparring partner insisted that the Cuban heavyweight is training as if he is still fighting August 13 until hearing otherwise.

Ruiz (34-2, 22KOs) has not fought since a twelve-round decision victory over Chris Arreola in their battle of California-based Mexican heavyweights last May 1 in Carson, California.

The fight was the first for Ruiz since his two-fight series with Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22KOs) before the pandemic, having knocked out the Brit in the seventh round of their June 2019 WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The rematch saw Ruiz showing up grossly out of shape and dropping a lopsided decision to Joshua six months later in Saudi Arabia.

A fight with Ortiz (33-2, 28KOs) was discussed for May 2020, only for the global pandemic to shut down those plans and the sport as a whole. The fight never came back around, with Ortiz having scored two knockouts in that time—a 45-second blitzing of Alexander Flores in November 2020 and an off-the-canvas, sixth-round knockout of former IBF heavyweight titlist Charles Martin on New Year’s Day in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

In between those two fights, Ortiz—a Cuban southpaw based out of Miami—was ringside for Ruiz’s win over Arreola, eager to move forward with such a fight. Those plans were curbed, only materializing earlier this year but not until after it was learned that Ruiz initially agreed to a rust-shaking fight with Tyrone Spong. The fight was announced by Triller Fight Club, who was prepared to present a July 16 PPV event from Plaza de Toros in Mexico City.

To the company’s credit, Triller immediately walked back its announcement once learning that Ruiz already committed to a fight with Ortiz that was not revealed at the time.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox