Andy Ruiz Jr. admits he was 'half-assing' career after becoming champion: 'I thought I knew it all'
· Yahoo Sports
Andy Ruiz Jr.'s life changed forever on June 1, 2019, when he knocked out Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden and became boxing’s unified heavyweight champion.
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In some ways, it changed for the better. He had accomplished his lifelong dream and was financially set for life.
In other ways, however, it changed for the worse. An out-of-shape Ruiz put in an underwhelming performance in the rematch and subsequently lost his belts six months later.
"Leading up to the rematch, [there were] things [where] I should've just been more disciplined," Ruiz said this week on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I should've taken care of myself a little bit more. I should've been thinking more of the future, not just the present. Once God gave me what I've been asking for, what I've been wishing for, I kind of went over here [and] I was dragged over there — I kind of lost track of the whole mission."
Ruiz had the opportunity to repeat his win over Joshua, which not only would’ve cemented his legacy in heavyweight boxing, but also opened the door for more major paydays. It would’ve been an inspiration for his Mexican and Mexican-American fan base.
Instead, Ruiz's showing in their second fight was embarrassing, and his career has never quite recovered.
"I weighed almost 280-something [pounds], like 290 [pounds] — I don't know what happened to me," Ruiz said. "Like I said, I did underestimate Anthony Joshua in that [second] fight. If I could go back, I wish I could change everything because it would've been a whole different scenario.
"I used to [live with regret], but now we accept [what happened], and we learn out of it. If you keep living [dwelling on what could've been], you're always going to have that thing inside you, and the only thing that I have is the hunger and wanting to be great again."
The Joshua rematch was almost seven years ago, and Ruiz has fought just three times since. In each appearance, Ruiz looked a shadow of the man who stunned Joshua in 2019.
Ruiz was knocked down by gatekeeper Chris Arreola in 2021, but recovered to win a unanimous decision victory. He edged a 43-year-old Luis Ortiz in a closely fought affair 16 months later. Most recently, Ruiz was fortunate to escape with a draw against Jarrell Miller in August 2024.
"When I fought Arreola, when I fought Luis Ortiz, when I fought Miller, I was kind of training myself," Ruiz said. "All I had was the mitt guy and the conditioning guy, and I was kind of controlling my whole camp.
"I don't know [why I did that]. I think because I thought I knew it all. I thought, 'Man, I was champion.' I do not know.
Andy Ruiz Jr. (left) was lucky to escape with a draw against Jarrell Miller in his last fight.Mark Robinson via Getty Images"A few people [were telling me I needed a proper coach]," Ruiz continued. "My dad was kind of telling me as well. But when I [reconnected] with Manny [Robles], I was like, 'Man, this is exactly how I became champion.' Having the right team, having the people forcing me, doing stuff that I don't want to do.
"Before, they would tell me, 'Hey, you’ve got to do this.' I'm like, 'Alright, I'll do it later on. I will do it after sparring.' Then after sparring comes, 'No, I'll do it tomorrow.' I was half-assing. I had one foot in the water and one foot out, so that was the big difference."
Ruiz returns Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark, making his debut for Eddie Hearn's Matchroom against Poland's Damian Knyba. The bout headlines the next edition of "The Fight" on the widely accessible TNT platform in the U.S., giving Ruiz the chance to prove to a mass audience that he's once again a major player in boxing's blue-ribbon division.
It’s also his first fight with Robles since losing his belts to Joshua in 2019. Ruiz believes the reunion will help him get back to the top of his game.
"I was with my girl in Cancun in Tulum, and we're drinking a little bit of wine, and then out of nowhere, something hit me. It was, 'Call Manny Robles.' And I was like, 'What?' So I ended up calling Manny Robles a little intoxicated," Ruiz said.
"I was all nervous, and I was like, 'Hey Manny, would you ever train me again? I want to get back in the ring.' He was like, 'Heck yeah, man. I just need you to be focused, I need you to be prepared. I need you to listen to me. We made history one time, we can do it again, but just listen to me and work hard.' And what do you know? We ended up clicking again."
Reuniting with Robles was one step in Ruiz's attempt to emerge from what he described as the "dark days" of his post-championship career.
"It got really dark," Ruiz admitted. "… Everybody goes through rollercoasters. Everybody has ups and downs in their life, especially when it gets mental as well. You feel like you're not good enough, you feel like you're not going to be the same, you feel like you don't want to do this anymore. There were a lot of things that were happening."
Ruiz, now 36, believes he is approaching his comeback with a level of discipline that he hasn't had since his championship triumph. The Mexican-American has dropped from around 300 pounds to 257, and hopes that he can now get what has been missing from his career post-Joshua — activity and momentum.
"I want to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world. I don't want to just be remembered [as], 'Oh, that's the guy who beat Anthony Joshua. Oh, that's the one-hit wonder,’" he said.
"I want to be a legend, especially for Mexico, and I want to bring those belts back."