ADMIT it: unless you are a hardcore boxing fan, or at least follow the sport, you won’t recognize British pugilist Anthony Joshua, much less the man who sent him crashing down the canvass, newly crowned unified world heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz, Jr.
Entering last week's main event at the Madison Square Garden, the chiseled and then-reigning WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO champ Joshua was a heavy 30-1 favorite over the chunky Mexican-American Ruiz, a replacement fighter for undefeated challenger Jarrell Miller who had failed three drugs tests leading up to the fight.
The 29-year-old slugger, who was four inches shorter and 20 pounds heavier than the champ, sure did make the most of the opportunity, unseating Joshua via a technical knockout in the 7th round. Not only was his victory one of the biggest upsets in modern boxing history, it also made the look-alike of Russell from Pixar's Up the first-ever heavyweight titleholder of Mexican descent.
Beyond the pudgy physique and fast hands, there is more to Ruiz than meets the eye. Contrary to his boxing stance, “The Destroyer” had quite an unorthodox journey to the top. Get to know more about the man now hailed the “Mexican Rocky” below.
Andy Ruiz Jr. was born to fight
Before Ruiz translated a penchant for fighting inside the ring, the Mexican-American had a tough childhood, being around druggies and gangs in Imperial, California. At such a young age, he got into street fights because of his friends, then fought cops and grown men at 10 years old, according to his father. He was even expelled from high school at 15 for fighting.
“My dad would go and look for me everywhere: alleys, houses and knocking at the doors to get me to go to the gym,” he told The Telegraph in an exclusive interview. “I’d be hanging around with the wrong crowd. Thanks to boxing and my dad, I was steered in the right direction.”
Andy Ruiz Jr. has experienced defeat more than once
Ruiz's professional boxing record stands at a near-unblemished 33 wins and one loss, highlighted by 22 knockouts. But prior his lone defeat by majority decision versus Joseph Parker, he had compiled a 105-5 win-loss record as an amateur under Cuban trainer Fernando Ferrer, including a losing debut when he was just seven.
In a report by Mirror Online, it was said he had to fight boys older than him back then because he was “so big.” He also represented Mexico at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, but was eliminated after losing to Robert Alfonso (Cuba) and Oscar Rivas (Colombia) in the first and second rounds of the qualification tournaments.
His last fight was at a university campus... during the daytime!
Would you believe that Ruiz’ last victory before the Joshua title bout at The Garden happened next to a football pitch and on the tennis court arena, underneath the hot sun? Last April, he beat German Alexander Dimitrenko in five rounds via referee technical decision at the Dignity Health Sports Park in California. Little did he know that from slugging it out at a multi-sports sports complex, his next match would be under the bright lights of The World’s Most Famous Arena.
He loves his Snickers
Ruiz has made known his obsession with the popular chocolate bar. After his win over Dimitrenko, he pulled a bar from his pocket midway through a TV interview. So it came as no surprise when he changed his Twitter header into a photo of a Snickers bar following his historic upset over Joshua.
In a previous press conference, he explained his sweet tooth: “My dad would always give me a Snickers before a fight. It gives me energy. It gives me everything I need to get the win.”
The confectionery brand has already sent him a “sweet” care package after capturing the heavyweight belt, with an endorsement deal also reportedly in the works.
His ‘The Destroyer’ nickname doesn’t actually refer to his punching power
One would think that Ruiz was christened “The Destroyer” due to his devastating blows and brutal knockout power. Truth is, the moniker traces its roots when he was still a toddle and refers to his habitual trashing of everything — from bikes to tables. He revealed in an interview with The Sun, “They called me the Destroyer because I was always destroying stuff. They’d buy me a toy and the next day I would break it.”
Bob Arum once called him a ‘fat slob’
He may be owning the “little fat kid” description now, but there was a time when Ruiz questioned himself if he was too heavy to box. This motivated him to chuck fast food while training, which led to him losing almost a stone and a half.
It’s one thing to be taunted about his weight, it’s another to be undervalued by being on the heavy side. His former promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, was quoted as saying, “Even though he (Ruiz) was winning, nobody would credit him as being legitimate because he looked like a slob—it was always, ‘Yeah, he’s a fat slob but his hands are so fast.’ But he wasn’t pleasing [to look at] when he fought.”
But Evander Holyfield knew what’s up
In the end, though, only champions recognize fellow champions. Holyfield, the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes (cruiserweight, heavyweight) and had part of his ear bitten off, had a chance to train with Ruiz and rather saw Ruiz's potential to win it all.
Holyfield revealed to Forbes, “I sparred with him (Ruiz) and he is quick. I mean, amazing. Amazing quick. He’s the only person I have ever said, I don’t ever want to fight him. It was amazing because usually I can look at your body and tell you what you can do.”
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