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Even in Andy Ruiz’s wildest dreams, he could never have envisaged holding four major heavyweight belts at once. Up until June this year, the Mexican was seen as a steady pro but not of the same calibre as heavyweight boxing’s biggest names in terms of talent and physique.
That all changed when Ruiz downed heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Madison Square Garden on June 1st to lay claim to the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. It was right up there with boxing’s greatest shocks – one of the poster boys of the sport felled by an underdog. It was a momentous achievement for the shorter, chubbier Ruiz to triumph over the muscular, chisel-featured Joshua.
With a rematch scheduled for December 7th in Saudi Arabia, the question is whether Joshua can bounce back or if Ruiz will consolidate his champion status. From the Mexican’s point of view, he has little to lose. He would have taken pride in defeating Joshua, given that he was a late replacement for the banned Jarrell Miller just a month before the bout was due to take place. The months he’s spent as a decorated champion have been a bonus that he could never have expected, and with all the pressure on Joshua, the ‘Destroyer’ may feel like this is another free hit at AJ.
Ruiz has been showing promising signs ahead of the bout. He has lost weight, trained hard, and even had the audacity to offer a cheeky apology to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn for defeating one of his prized fighters. “This chubby kid is training really hard,” he said of himself. All this is evidence that Ruiz is enjoying the limelight, and is aiming to build on his success.
He will be facing a more focused and better prepared Joshua this time. AJ has admitted that he suffered after his first defeat in June, and losing his undefeated record will give him major motivation for revenge. Ruiz will need to be prepared for an onslaught as Joshua will now be better acquainted with his opponent’s tactics, but he has proved that he can hold his own against the Englishman. For Joshua, he has never had to bounce back from defeat so the pressure on his shoulders will be immense.
As evidenced in the first fight, Ruiz has the power and speed in his punching to cause Joshua serious problems. Come December 7th, it will be important that the Mexican picks the right moments to strike, and not play into Joshua’s hands by going too gung-ho.
Andy Ruiz Jr odds place the Mexican as the underdog once more, but that will be a good thing from his point of view. Joshua will be feeling the heat as he tries to return to heavyweight boxing’s top table. The prospect of further high-profile bouts will be another motivating factor for Ruiz. Should he pull off another victory over Joshua, he’ll have his sights set on Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder as future opponents.
These clashes with Joshua will have given Ruiz a taste for the big occasion, and that will spur him on to deliver another knockout performance. It will take another massive effort from the Mexican to beat AJ in December, but rule him out at your peril.
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