By Ryan Burton
Andy Ruiz shocked the boxing world last month when he stopped Anthony Joshua in 7 rounds. Ruiz hit the canvas in the third round but rose to his feet to drop the heavy betting favorite 4 times before the referee stopped the fight.
With the victory Ruiz became the first fighter of Mexican decent to capture a world title. He now holds the WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF heavyweight titles.
It has been a whirlwind for Ruiz since the victory. He has met with the the President of Mexico and also received a hero's welcome in Puerto Rico, where he received his WBO title in addition to several appearances in the United States.
BoxingScene.com recently caught up with Ruiz's former trainer Abel Sanchez to get his take on Ruiz's victory and his opinion on if the fame may end up going to Ruiz's head.
“Well, I hope he’s not listening to these things that I’ve been saying. Because I’m saying these things kind of to motivate him to get his butt in the gym and stop being a superstar. All those things come with time," Sanchez stated.
Sanchez was in Ruiz's corner in 2016 when he lost a majority decision to Joseph Parker in Parker's homeland New Zealand. Sanchez is obviously biased but believes Ruiz should have been given the victory that night in which the then vacant WBO heavyweight title was at stake.
“He’s a good fighter. He’s got good hand speed. He’s got a great chin. I know because I had him against Joseph Parker and I know we really beat Joseph Parker in New Zealand. The trouble that Joshua had is he became a superstar in the UK and Andy needs to understand that what got him there is boxing and not his good looks,” Sanchez said with a smile.
Ruiz is now trained by up and coming trainer Manny Robles and Sanchez believes the duo is a good combination.
Sanchez is sure that Joshua will be highly motivated for the rematch which is expected to take place in November or December. He believes that the key will be if Ruiz is able to stay focused and keep his motivation.
“If he stays in the gym and gets back with Manny and keeps working on the things that Manny has him working on and stays consistent with his training and running then I think he has a good chance of winning. If he doesn’t Anthony Joshua is a very skilled fighter and I know he is not taking the second fight lightly,” Sanchez told BoxingScene.com.
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