The thought of traveling to three different countries in as many days for a press tour wasn’t exactly how Andy Ruiz hoped to spend the first week of September. Still, there was reason to shake loose any lingering jet lag for the second stop of the trip.
The reigning unified heavyweight titlist joined England’s Anthony Joshua (22-1, 21KOs) on Wednesday in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, which will host their Dec. 7 title fight rematch. From there, the tour made its way to New York City, where Ruiz made history in becoming the first-ever Mexican boxer to claim the heavyweight crown following his off-the-canvas 7th round stoppage this past June at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m happy to be back here in New York,” Ruiz (33-1, 22KO) stated, beaming with joy in fondly recalling his last trip to the city that never sleeps. “This is where it all happened when I became heavyweight champion of the world and made history.”
California’s Ruiz accepted the assignment on just more than one month’s notice, replacing Brooklyn’s Jarrell Miller who was forced to withdraw after testing positive for multiple banned substances. The risk was well worth the reward, claiming title status on his second try. The lone loss of his career came in Dec. 2016, dropping a tightly contested 12-round decision to Joseph Parker in a vacant title fight.
Just as he never gave up on his championship dreams, he’s well aware of the revenge factor fueling Joshua’s drive to reclaim his crown.
“I know what it’s like…I lost against Parker when I thought I won the fight. (Joshua) wants to bounce back,” Ruiz acknowledged. “My job is to not let him win, to not get back the belts.
“I'm proof that people can say 'If he did it, I can." and you can as long as you stay dedicated, train hard and believe in yourself. I'm going to train my ass off and we're going to win again.”
The final stop of the three-city trek will take place Friday in London. From there, both heavyweights will enter training camp ahead of their forthcoming rematch, which will air live on DAZN and Sky Sports Box Office.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
