Andy Ruiz would fight in mid-2020

The former heavyweight champion of the world, Andy Ruiz, would return to the ring in May or June, once his vacation was over.

Andy Ruiz would fight in mid-2020
Andy Ruiz would fight in mid-2020

According to information from ESPN, the Mexican-American boxer will return to training in February or March, although he does not yet have a rival but already has some options.

Ruiz became the first Mexican-born boxer to become a world heavyweight champion when he beat Britain's Anthony Joshua by knockout on 1 June 2019 at New York's Madison Square Garden.

However, in a rematch on Dec. 7, Joshua took revenge and, by unanimous decision, seized the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization titles.

Destroyer Ruiz, 30, has a record of 33-2. He has only lost to former champion Joseph Parker and the aforementioned Anthony Joshua.


On the night of June 1, 2019, a little-known Mexican fighter placed his name on the most important marquees of international boxing after knocking out Anthony Joshua, an English tower that when he steps into the ring stands as Big Ben in London. That spectacular night was the turning point in Andy Ruiz Jr.'s career, as from then on, his figure became more like that of a movie character than a sportsman.

Ruiz's was one of the most inspiring stories of the year. He won an impossible battle, but the Mexican fighter's success was short-lived. Photo: Andy Ruiz

In the seventh round, the arms were at their most tense, the clenched fists were hitting sweaty bodies, and from one moment to the next, the fans in Madison Square Garden, New York, were filled with emotion as the referee called off the fight in favor of Ruiz. Perhaps, the way this fight was conducted could be one of the reasons why the result was so surprising.

"Give me the fight, I'm going to fight harder than any of the men they've mentioned, I'm going to give him a better fight and I'm going to beat Anthony Joshua," were the words that Andy Ruiz wrote to Eddie Hearn, promoter of the British, through a direct message on Instagram. Hearn - in desperation to find a rival soon because Jarrel Miller, who would be the challenger, had tested positive for doping - agreed.

The story that began so unexpectedly came to a head in Ruiz's corner on June 1 and was framed by a dialogue that struck a chord in his heart: "Do it for your son! You can't let him live anymore, you have to knock him out, go out and finish him off," his father said to make him angry. Then, with only one goal in mind and fists, he rose from his bench to make history: to become the first Mexican to become the world's heavyweight champion.

That marked the beginning of a film whose development gave hope to Mexican fans for seeing one of their own at the top of one of the stellar divisions in the world of pugilism. Congratulations were in order for the Imperial Valley, California-born man, and just like the film Roma, by Alfonso Cuarón, he received recognition from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

How the script of this film was written

Andy Ruiz Jr.'s story in the boxing world began in the streets of his hometown. When the former heavyweight world champion was in high school, his main goal was not to get the best grades, but to fight in street duels. He would rather raise his fists to mount a guard than wield a pen to do his homework.

"He wasn't behaving well, so I took him to Mexico," the father told The New York Times, so to avoid negative influences, Ruiz would take his son on what he thought were "endless" trips back and forth across the border. These trips involved waiting for hours just to have the then-problematic Andy Ruiz Jr. train at Mexican gyms.

While Destroyer's talent was evident every time he put on his gloves, his discipline was not ideal. That's why every time his son's dedication languished, his father, who owned a successful construction business, put him to work installing drywall without regard for the harsh weather conditions.

The only purpose of this was to teach his son a lesson: to show how difficult and hard life could be outside the gym. However, this did not lessen his rebellious behavior, as he participated in one more street fight and that's when Ruiz Jr.'s father decided to have a friend of his, who worked as a police officer, put him in a cell: "Then, he started listening. He learned to listen.

Throughout his career, he has been beaten badly. An example of this was not achieving qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a Mexican national team. But that didn't diminish his strength, courage, and drive, which, in fact, have earned him compliments from boxing celebrities.

One such compliment was from Sylvester Stallone, who might be considered the author of Ruiz's movie's name. The actor who starred in Hollywood's most famous boxer said the Mexican was "the real Rocky, the international Rocky, no matter what the nationality (?) Andy did it in real life. That gave hope to a lot of people who didn't think he could do it. Very inspiring."

The pinnacle of fame

The post-premiere celebration in New York had begun. His face was common in commercials, television shows, public events, and even parties. His money was wasted on luxuries, but his presence in the gym was not as desired by his team. During the months following the first match, the Mexican champion's fame soared, as did his weight.

Although he suffered from criticism of his body from the beginning of his career, there were moments when his temperament and attitude helped him overcome such comments. Before the first fight against Joshua, he issued a statement that shocked like a jab to stop the media: "Take me out of my body but leave me with the same attributes; the same height, the same punch, the same chin, the same heart, and the same mind. I would look different, but what makes you a champion is what's inside you.

But after all, the excesses took their toll. At the weigh-in ceremony for the second match, he stepped onto the scale with a charro shade, a gesture of happiness and 20 kilograms more than his opponent: "He never concentrated well," were the harsh words of Ruiz Sr. after the defeat. "I told him to concentrate well, that he couldn't reach that weight because he wasn't going to do anything to Joshua.

The climax of Andy Ruiz's epic tale came on December 7. In every round he lived in the ring at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia, Joshua's punches turned into action movie explosions that exploded over the Mexican and although they didn't throw him to the canvas, they were enough to mark the end of an ephemeral box office success.

That's how the marquees were put out where the name of Andy Ruiz shone, who accepted the failure of his blockbuster: "I'm a little disappointed, I was talking to my dad and my team about how I should have listened to them, I should have gotten in shape, I tried to do the training on my own and I'm sorry for them. I should have listened to them more, I think I trusted myself too much.

As with all stories that generate interest and money, however, the possibility of a sequel is still open, as, after his celebration of regaining the title of unified heavyweight champion, the antagonist of this story, Anthony Joshua said, "Andy and I will see each other in the ring again soon.


On June 22 it was declared as the day of the Mexican boxer, who at the beginning of the month was proclaimed Heavyweight Champion.

The Mexican boxer received the keys to the city. Image: Mediodía

The city of Imperial, California declared June 22 as the 'Day of Andy Ruiz', in honor of the Mexican boxer who was recently proclaimed Heavyweight Champion, so on Saturday, there was a parade in tribute to the fighter.

The event was attended by more than 6,000 fans who handed him the keys to the city while he was walking on top of an open-topped vehicle.

"I wanted to do this for a long time and we did it," Andy told the crowd after a parade in which he had to be escorted by some policemen given the number of attendees.

By Mexicanist