Andy Ruiz will celebrate his one-year anniversary of joining forces with Canelo Alvarez and trainer Eddy Reynoso on May 5, the Mexican holiday celebrating its victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
Rubbing shoulders and training alongside boxing’s pound-for-pound king has had positive effects for the former heavyweight champion Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs), who is preparing to fight Chris Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) on May 1 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California headlining a FOX Sports pay per view.
The Mexican-American Ruiz wants to mirror the success of his countryman as he looks to revive his career.
“I want to become a heavyweight Canelo, someone that is disciplined, someone that is focused and wants to conquer and do a legacy in boxing,” Ruiz said on the PBC Countdown show promoting his upcoming bout. “My whole life, everybody has judged me for the way I looked, but I didn’t give up, and I think that’s what’s taken me this far. Becoming the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world, it was amazing.”
Soon after Ruiz shocked Anthony Joshua in the summer of 2019 to win the WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO titles, the already hefty fighter’s dedication to training and weight spiraled out of control, climbing from 268 pounds to 283 by the December rematch. He lost a wide unanimous decision to Joshua, failing to defend his titles.
By the time Ruiz formed a pact with Alvarez and Reynoso, a battle with depression brought his weight to 310 pounds.
The 29-year-old from Imperial, Calif. already looks like he’s lost plenty of pounds and plans on tipping the scales at no more than 255 for the Arreola fight.
“This fight is important because now I’m focused, and I’m going to do things right,” said Ruiz. “I learned my lesson in my defeat, and I promise you that when I become a two-time Mexican heavyweight champion, I’m not going to take it for granted.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com