Last updated & checked: 10/08/2021
Never judge a book by its cover, never count your chickens until they’ve hatched, and never write-off Andy Ruiz Jr in a boxing match.
Ok, so the latter may not stick long in the memory, but for the poster-boy of British boxing, this sentiment will ring true for years to come.
The story so far
Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz have in one way or another deviated from traditional paths of boxers, what with Ruiz’s luchadorian physique and Joshua’s endeavour to expose every muscle known to man.
Joshua’s days of being the massive odds on favourite with online bookmakers are becoming fewer and farther between, while Andy Ruiz has cut a rather lucrative career fighting as the underdog and is no stranger to being on the wrong side of the betting predictions.
When Ruiz Jr shocked the world
You’d be hard-pressed to find any betting tips that predicted Ruiz would beat Joshua back in June 2019, let alone by knockout. With the Jarrell Miller fight called off and Luis Ortiz declining to face Joshua, Ruiz Jr. stepped up as a challenger.
He had the record, 31-1, with 20 Knockouts, and had never been floored in a fight, but that was nothing next to his chubby and almost unconventional size.
Ruiz has the looks of a downsized Obelix, but if you have ever watched a Mexican Lucha fight, then you would know that size can be very misleading.
Nicknamed “the destroyer”, the 30-year old American, of Mexican heritage is blessed with deceptive lightness on his feet and quick hands, whether it’s on the counterpunch or combination, for someone his build.
In their first fight, probably the only person who believed he could take down Joshua was Ruiz himself, and all of that almost left him when his feet buckled from a third-round hit by Joshua.
For the first time in his career, Ruiz was down, and for most fighters, that would (and usually against Joshua) be it, but not for this luchador.
Ruiz would go on to chin Joshua twice in that same round, before unleashing hell on him in the seventh, to claim the unified titles and Joshua’s unbeaten record.
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Building up to the rematch
According to the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, Ruiz is the best heavyweight fighter in the world. Fast forward to a couple of months later, and Ruiz is up against Joshua once again, yet it feels like the Mexican is the one who lost the first time.
The shock of his win earned him more disrespect than respect. Most believe he got lucky; many still doubt his ability, more was made about Joshua being beaten by a chubby, six-pack-less fighter, than Andy Ruiz Jr, a great boxer with 22 stoppages to his record.
For Anthony Joshua, life was all roses and silk sheets for the once bricklayer, until Andy Ruiz Jr happened to him. The man from Watford was having a perfect career, 22 fights in total, with a perfect 22 wins and 21 knockouts, heck! He was the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
Despite the wins, and even knocking out the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, and Dillan Whyte, many people still saw Joshua as “not the real deal”.
The likes of Fury and post-Ortiz Deontay Wilder were still considered better than him despite the statistics. Andy Ruiz Jr was supposed to be a small fish in a big pond, to amuse the sharks, but turns out he was a slippery jellyfish with a devastating sting.
Excuses were made for Joshua after the loss, but then critics and pundits had their moment of glory, the golden opportunity to doubt Joshua.
Nowhere to hide
So, here we are, Ruiz Jr v. Joshua II, which will take place in Saudi Arabia on December 7th. The first-ever Mexican to win a heavyweight title will have to prove it was no fluke and that he belongs, while for Joshua, the legitimacy of his career is at stake.
Even the bookies are scratching their heads at this one: Betway have Joshua priced up at 2/5 with Andy Ruiz a 2/1 dog. Both men are much slimmer than in their first bout, and for pundits, Joshua’s main weakness is his soft chin, while Ruiz’s new weight could ultimately be his downfall.
Maybe Tyson Fury said it best, “every boxer has his bogeyman”.
What if for Joshua, Ruiz Jr is his bogeyman, that one fighter who has got his number.
One thing, however, is sure, Joshua needs to keep Ruiz at length and use his superior reach, while his slimmer size should add some spring to his criticized movement and add more speed to his jabs.
For Ruiz, he should be looking to get into Joshua and test that chin when he carves open a chance. The destroyer should also force Joshua to move and invoke exchanges, to deliver those quick counterpunches and combinations, but this will be easier said than done.
Fight Predictions
When considering a betting strategy going into this fight, we fancy this one to go the distance with Joshua aiming to execute a strategy that keeps his chin well away from Ruiz. The Mexican will be looking to take this one into the trenches, while AJ will likely be calling on his superior artillery to land shots from range in an attempt to earn the win in a narrow points victory.
While this match can be considered a career, if not, legacy-defining fight for both men, as crazy as that may sound, a points defeat would not be the end of the World for Ruiz, and would act as a springboard for the Mexican to finish off his career with a few big paydays.
The stage is set, the narrative is solid, and all that is left is deciding who goes into which side of history, a decision that both men will have to make with their fists come December 7th, in Saudi Arabia.
