By Kenneth Friedman: Former heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. took to social media this past week to let fans know that he’s taking “no days off” from his hard work getting ready for his next fight.
Ruiz is expected to take a warmup fight when he returns to the ring after the lockdown. There’s no word about who Ruiz’s opponent will be, but it’s likely to be a journeyman level fighter.
Ruiz’s new trainer Eddy Reynoso will likely reject a good opponent for him because he needs a lot of work. Until Reynoso can fine-tune Ruiz’s game, we probably won’t see him face any real threats.
Ruiz taking his training seriously
The former IBF/WBA/WBO champion Ruiz Jr. (33-2, 22 KOs) is taking his training seriously in working out on his own, and he always looks better than he did in his rematch with Anthony Joshua last December in Saudi.
Had Ruiz been in the shape he’s in right now, he possibly could have chased Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) down and stopped him. Ruiz Jr. still would have needed to fight through all the strategic clinching that AJ did each time he got near him.
Joshua took advantage of Ruiz being out of shape by using movement and constant holding to stymie his attacks. When you look at the fight, Joshua’s game plan was a simple one. It wasn’t complicated like Joshua’s fans say it was. He held, and he moved, and that was enough to beat the 283-pound Joshua.
Robles and Ruiz Jr. made history
“Managers and promoters make the decision about who we fight next, and my job is to get them ready,” said Ruiz’s former trainer Robles to Fino Boxing. “Andy and I were pretty close.
“We made history together. We lived a lot of great moments and up and downs if you will. Now it’s more ups if you have that kind of money,” Roblems said in talking about Ruiz becoming wealthy from the money he made from his two fights with Joshua.
“I remember when he had nothing, and things were pretty tough on him, and he was having a lot of financial difficulties,” Manny said of Andy Ruiz Jr. “We got the opportunity to fight for a world title, and we got a new manager in Al Haymon and got the fight with Dimitrenko.
“That’s when everything changed. Prior to that, it was pretty difficult for him. When you’re going through difficult times, that’s when you create a bond, and you discover who’s really there for you and who are your friends and who stick with you through good and bad and thick and thin,” Manny said.
Beating Joshua turned Ruiz’s life around in making him wealthy and giving him the fame that he never had. Robles states that Ruiz Jr. didn’t handle the fame well, and it became too much for him in the end.
Ruiz Jr. decided to fire his ex-coach, Manny Robles, after his loss to Joshua. Robles says he felt something wasn’t right during camp when Ruiz Jr. wasn’t working hard.
Things changed after the first Joshua fight
“Unfortunately, everything changed after he won the world title and everything that happened in camp and after the fight,” said Robles in explaining how the fame got the best of Ruiz. “I consider him my friend and someone that will always be considered part of my life because we made history together. But unfortunately, I haven’t heard from him since Saudi Arabia, since we came back.
“I texted him once to wish him Merry Christmas last December. It took a couple of weeks before he got back at me, but he did write back. That’s as far as I can go about having a conversation with him or any communication.
“The break up came from the dad. He went to the gym to give me the news, but I saw it coming. I’m not in denial. I saw it coming months ahead in camp. It was a matter of time because the situation wasn’t very pleasant.
“I think it’s a great decision,” said Robles when asked about his view of Andy Ruiz Jr. joining up with coach Eddy Reynoso.
Robles isn’t the first coach that Ruiz Jr. has had in which he underperformed, and it’s entirely possible that he won’t stay with Reynoso for long. You can imagine that Ruiz Jr. will stick it out with Reynoso until he starts losing.
Taking one loss will be bad for Ruiz, but it would be surprising if he stays with Reynoso after a second defeat. The best coach that Ruiz Jr. can have is someone that has him under his thumb 24 hours a day.
Ruiz Jr needs his hunger back
“There were talks of Teddy Atlas before Eddy Reynoso,” coach Robles said of Ruiz. “Even Robert Garcia’s name was mentioned. I think any of those coaches are great coaches, top of the line coaches and some of the best coaches if you ask me. But it’s not up to them. It’s up to Andy. What does Andy want?
“Hopefully, he’ll rediscover himself; I guess I can say that. To get his hunger back to get his championship back. He’s a remarkable fighter. I said before the Joshua fight when most people doubted us.
“This guy has got what it takes. He’s got heart, and he’s got the chin. He doesn’t have the physical attributes, but damn, can he fight. He’s very flexible, power, ring generalship.
“He’s got the whole package to become world champion again, but he’s got to want it,” said Robles in talking about the positives of Andy Ruiz’s game.
Ruiz Jr. would have done well with Teddy Atlas as his trainer, but it would have been a potentially heated relationship. Atlas would be all over Ruiz Jr. if he started slacking off, skipping training sessions, and overeating. That would have been a short-lasting working relationship. Prima donnas generally don’t last long with strict coaches.
Andy Ruiz Jr. has got to want it
“It doesn’t matter who he ends up with. He’s got to want it,” said Roblems Andy Jr. needing to be dedicated. “Discipline, absolutely. He’s in a good situation now, physically, financially speaking. Money isn’t everything.
“We talked about leaving a legacy, and we talked about being a positive role model for our youth and are Mexican-American community and the Latinos in general. But talk is cheap. As you know, you win your fights in the gym. That’s the bottom line. That’s where it all takes place,” said Robles.
Right now, Ruiz Jr. looks like he wants it. He’s training hard, and he’s lost weight, but that’s not the same thing as when you’re working out with a trainer.
If Ruiz Jr. had a coach that lived with him and monitored how much he was eating day and night, then he would have a better chance for success. We’re talking about babysitting, and Robles said he couldn’t be that type of person for Andy.
After the loss, Robles says he rarely heard anything from Ruiz Jr. He sent a text around Christmas to Ruiz and then didn’t hear back for almost two weeks.
