Almost two years ago, on June 1, 2019, in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, Andy “Destroyer” Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 KO’s) performed for the record books.
Ruiz, a 20-1 underdog, pulled off the major upset by stopping Anthony Joshua in the seventh round, and he silenced the critics.
Ruiz scored one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing and accomplished history by becoming the first boxer of Mexican descent to become heavyweight champion. Ruiz executed the perfect game plan and shocked the world.
The rematch was set for Ruiz and Joshua on December 7, 2019, in Saudi Arabia. It was simple. All Ruiz had to do was stay focused and beat Joshua again; however, the script was flipped.
Ruiz did not prepare for the fight, and Joshua did. Joshua came in ten pounds lighter, and Ruiz came in fifteen pounds heavier than their first fight. The results showed. Joshua avenged his loss to Ruiz and regained the championship. He clearly out-boxed a slow and plodding Andy Ruiz.
Now that time has passed, Ruiz moves forward and on to the next chapter of his career.
Ruiz is now trained by Eddy Reynoso, who is the famed trainer of Canelo Alvarez. Reynoso is one of the top trainers in boxing today.
Based on training footage of Ruiz, it seems that Ruiz is back on track and motivated again for another crack at the top of the division.
It is evident that he has lost weight, and per a recent statement, he plans to come in at 255 pounds for his upcoming fight on Saturday. Ruiz will be headlining the FOX PPV card against Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KO’s).
Arreola is another Mexican-American fighter just like Ruiz. Arreola is a seasoned veteran that has fought some of the best fighters in the heavyweight division. Arreola has the drive to become a heavyweight champion, but he has been unsuccessful in three title opportunities already.
Arreola is a very aggressive fighter who likes to come forward and go for the knockout, similar to Ruiz’s style. In Arreola’s last fight against Adam Kownacki, both fighters broke the CompuBox record for most punches thrown and landed in a heavyweight fight. It was a slugfest that Arreola came up short and lost a unanimous decision.
Based on the styles of Ruiz and Arreola, it will be war while it lasts. It should be a fight where Ruiz should be victorious by KO or TKO. I don’ see the fight going past six rounds. However, this will be a good comeback fight for Ruiz.
Even if Ruiz wins, it probably won’t convince his doubters that he is back on top of the division, but he will be on the right track. Even before his upset victory over Joshua in 2019, Ruiz was always a good fighter.
He possesses power, hand speed, and a good chin. He is a problem for any heavyweight fighter out there. As long as Ruiz stays dedicated and serious, maybe he can become world champion again.