Much will be made of Andy Ruiz’s weight heading into his rematch against Anthony Joshua.
Ruiz weighed in at 283 pounds Friday, 15 more than his previous public appearance on a scale, the heaviest he’s been since 2009 in his second pro fight.
In Ruiz’s defense, he weighed in fully clothed, shoes and a sombrero to boot, with a meal in his tummy and sufficiently hydrated. It officially marked an end to a half-year victory lap around the world, which at times detailed successful attempts at weight loss with a target goal of 255 pounds.
Instead, he deliberately ballooned because he felt more comfortable and confident at a heavier weight.
Manny Robles, Ruiz’s trainer, said his unified heavyweight champion needed a 12-week camp to get into shape ahead of his showdown with Joshua on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
“I needed three months to get him right,” Robles told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I saw him getting better and better with each passing day. He’s a big guy, but everything has been balanced. I wasn’t overworking him. Heavyweights are a special breed, and it requires a different approach.
“It’s not easy [training] with the distractions. I never thought our lives would change this much. The situation has not controlled or overwhelmed me. It’s all about how you handle things, staying grounded and hungry and not losing sight of the prize.”
This will be Ruiz’s third fight this year, somewhat abnormal for a heavyweight to be fighting so frequently. Robles said Ruiz has been in the gym from January to June for his first two 2019 encounters, and from September, in Mexico, till now as camp just concluded for the rematch with Joshua.
Robles said he’s tried to be a beacon throughout the celebratory journey for Ruiz not to lose sight of the task at hand.
“You need someone to trust, especially now that he’s on top of the world,” said Robles. “It becomes harder to trust people, especially now, because you don’t know their true intentions. It’s always good to go back to the people you’ve known since day one. I’m going to be there for my fighter in victory or defeat.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk.akopyan@gmail.com.
