By Dan Ambrose: Andy Ruiz Jr says he’s ready to return to the ring following his victory over former two-time heavyweight title challenger Chris ‘The Nightmare’ Arreola on May 1st.
Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) took to social media on Tuesday to ask his boxing fans to pick out his next opponent for him.
After the way Ruiz looked against the 40-year-old Arreola in getting dropped in the second round, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to pick someone good.
The real question is, has Ruiz’s punch resistance diminished in part because of his weight loss? He’s literally half the fighter he once was after dropping so much weight with the help of his new trainer Eddy Reynoso.
It’s up to Ruiz if he wants to earn the trilogy with Anthony Joshua as fast as possible. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t going to give Ruiz the time of day if he fights another old-timer at the same level as Arreola.
Ruiz needs a win over a solid heavyweight ranked in the top five of the division to be taken seriously.
Dangerous options for Ruiz’s next fight
Ruiz’s fans are likely to ask him to face Dillian ‘The Body Snatcher’ Whyte, Joseph Parker, Luis Ortiz, or Filip Hrgovic.
Other possible choices for Ruiz:
- Frank Sanchez
- Tony Yoka
- Alexander Povetkin
- Robert Helenius
- Otto Wallin
- Efe Ajagba
- Michael Hunter
- Martin Bakole
- Charles Martin
Those would be very tough fights for Ruiz if he performs the way he did against Arreola. Unfortunately, Ruiz’s handers will probably steer him in a safe direction by matching him against another beatable guy that he has a 90% chance of defeats.
As a result, we’re probably looking at Ruiz fighting someone like Hunter, Helenius, Bakole, or Martin for his next fight. You can forget about Whyte, Wallin, Frank Sanchez, or Yoka because they’re too dangerous.
I’m ready to get back in the ring, who do you want to see me fight next?
— AndyRuizjr (@Andy_destroyer1) June 8, 2021
Ruiz has in mind the goal to get a trilogy fight against IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. If Ruiz takes on someone a little good right now while he’s still weak from his weight loss program, he might lose.
Ruiz might need another tune-up
With Ruiz’s huge weight loss in going from 313 lbs to 256 lbs for the Arreola fight, you can blame his less than stellar performance on that.
That’s why it would be smart for Ruiz to take another tune-up fight for him to get used to competing with his new physique.
Anyone that has lost a lot of weight knows how it leaves a person feeling weakened. Ruiz lost almost 60 lbs for the Arreola, and that’s an enormous amount of weight to drop in a short period.
Ruiz was getting tagged by the older fighter, and if it hadn’t been a case of Arreola (38-7-1, 33 KOs) gassing, he probably would have won. Andy Ruiz came out on top with 118-109, 118-109, 117-110.