Andy Ruiz Jr. faced criticism for not taking off his black t-shirt throughout training camp and media workouts. Well, on Thursday, he did just that.
Ruiz, by his previous standards, is ripped. There are visible abs on his stomach, a far cry from the fighter who defended his heavyweight titles against Anthony Joshua.
Piling on the pound celebrating his June 2019 knockout of Joshua when he stunned the world, Ruiz was in no shape to fight by December.
Andy Ruiz Jr
Joshua had a rematch clause in the contract stating he must get an immediate shot within six months. Whether Ruiz was in condition to fight or not, AJ wasn’t going to wait.
The Briton took full advantage of Ruiz’s outside-of-the-ring partying and won at a canter on points. However, Ruiz did give Joshua some hairy moments despite his blubbery exterior.
Fast forward almost three years, and Mexico’s first heavyweight ruler looked superb at the FOX Sports media promo session. He’s a big favorite to dispatch the aging Luis Ortiz on Pay Per View.
3 More Days 👊🇲🇽🇲🇽😇😇🥊🥊🥊 pic.twitter.com/xZuCJlUCGc
— AndyRuizJr (@Andy_destroyer1) September 1, 2022
Discussing the task at hand during the final press obligations, Ruiz said:
“I feel good and extremely motivated. The first time I saw Ortiz fight live, my dad told me I would fight him someday. Now we’re here.
“At the end of the day, we both have the same dream. He wants to make history, but I will have my hand raised up high. I’ll be the one who comes out victorious.”
Performance
On aiming for a great performance after his recent poor efforts, Ruiz added: “I’m trying to make a big statement. Not just for the fans but for myself.
“Losing all those titles that I won broke my heart. This is another chance for me to become a champion. I don’t want to lose it.
“I want to take full advantage of it and do my best.”
Both men have talked up ending the fight early. Ruiz remains cautious of the power Ortiz possesses despite his age.
“He plans to try to knock me out, but we’ve trained really hard. If it goes the distance, we trained hard. I’m ready for anything he brings to the ring.
“Everyone wants a knockout, but if you look for the knockout, you make mistakes and pay the price. That’s what we’ll be waiting for.
Champion again
“This is the only thing we know how to do. I’ve boxed since I was six years old. I never had another job, so I had to work hard in boxing and follow my dreams.
“I focus more on boxing now. Because in my last fight, I was focused on how I looked. I want to be the part, not look the part. I trained so hard for this moment.
“Beating Luis Ortiz will help me become a world champion again. That’s the reason I’m still fighting. I want to become a two-time world champion.
“All the hard work and dedication, the blood, sweat, and tears, it’s time for it all to pay off. It’s time to get the victory.”
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