
New Boxing Champ Andy Ruiz Jr. Brings His Native Imperial Valley Into Focus
Hometown pride and national attention descends on an often-overlooked community.
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CategoryArts + Culture
When native son Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden, the 29 year old became the first fighter of Mexican decent to hold a belt in the sport’s prestige division. He also brought a renewed sense of pride to his Imperial Valley home. Honored with a parade and a rally, it’s the first time in years the region east of Los Angeles and San Diego and north of the Mexican border received so much attention and fanfare.
According to the L.A. Times, “Ruiz’s Mexican heritage and improbable rise—a high school dropout, he got the fight against Joshua with only four weeks’ notice after the original opponent failed a drug test—have been the main story lines chronicled by the national and international press. They’re important to valley residents, of course.
“But many around here want outsiders—and that includes other Californians—to consider something else they say Ruiz personifies: the hard knocks in which Imperial Mexicans not only endure but thrive.”
You can read more about the Imperial Valley’s Mexican heritage and Ruiz’s victorious homecoming here.
The Oldest Operating Hotel in Palm Springs Offers a Glimpse of Desert Life Before the Mid-Century Makeover
It’s easy to miss Casa Cody while walking through the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood a couple blocks west of the main drag in downtown Palm Springs. Hidden behind walls of colorful bougainvillea and citrus trees, the tranquil compound could be mistaken for a private home. Well, that’s because it was … In the early 1900s, […]