Andy Ruiz Jr. has seemingly disappeared into the dustbin of history since pulling off one of the biggest upsets in sports history in June 2019 with his seventh-round knockout of then-IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Ruiz has become the equivalent of a couch potato, no longer active, not working, and hanging around. Is Andy even still a boxer? He has an estimated net worth of $18 million.
Gone with the Millions
The former unified heavyweight champion Ruiz Jr. (35-2, 22 KOs) will be 35 this year and has been missing in action since his razor-thin win over 43-year-old Luis Ortiz 19 months ago in 2019.
Ruiz has arguably been living off his one big career win over Joshua in June 2019 and has done zero since then.
Some believe that Ruiz’s big paydays in his two fights with AJ have given him a warped view of what he now deserves to be paid for all his matches, even though he’s no longer a world champion or fighting high-level opposition.
Former Deontay Wilder attempted to organize a fight with Ruiz in 2023 but gave up after Andy asked for $25 million, an absurd number for a beltless fighter who had been feasting on the carcasses of old-timers Arreola and Ortiz.
Motivation MIA
Fans whisper that the 34-year-old Ruiz lost his ambition to keep his career going since his windfall from his two clashes against Joshua.
Ruiz reportedly earned $7 million for his first fight against AJ in June 2019 and $9 million for the rematch in December of that year. He’s since earned a couple more million for his fights against Arreola and Ortiz.
It’s hard for Ruiz to find the motivation to continue fighting when he’s no longer being offered fat paychecks for his classes against aging veterans. When a fighter gets a taste of the millions from fights against Joshua, it’s difficult to return to making just one or two million for fighting journeymen.
It’s a shame that Ruiz has let his career slide away without staying active like regular hard-working folks, as he could have done so much more and may have already earned the trilogy match against Joshua that he’s been begging for.