Boxing
Andy Ruiz Jr. on his performance vs. Anthony Joshua: 'I gained too much weight'
Andy Ruiz Jr. told DAZN News on Friday that he weighed in at 283 pounds for his heavyweight championship rematch against Anthony Joshua because he was already at 268 pounds in the morning and then decided to eat the three basic meals of the day with the weigh-in scheduled for late afternoon.
Ruiz was criticized from every corner for his decision, but he felt comfortable in the choice he made.
The now-former champion was dominated Saturday by Joshua, who took back the IBF, WBA (Super) and WBO titles. Ruiz was gracious in defeat, but he admitted that he shouldn't have packed on so many pounds.
"It was his night," Ruiz said in his postfight interview. "I think I didn’t prepare how I should have. I gained too much weight, but I don’t want to give no excuses. He won, he boxed me around. But if we do the third fight, I’m going to get in the f—ing best shape of my life.”
Ruiz weighed in at 268 in June when he shocked the boxing world and upset Joshua, who weighed in at 247. This time around, Joshua weighed 10 pounds lighter at 237. The weight discrepancy made a difference: Joshua was lighter on his feet, which allowed him to move well in the ring, enabled him to utilize the jab effectively, and allowed him to quickly slip out of the way anytime Ruiz tried to come at him.
Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) vows that his preparation will be different if the two meet in a trilogy fight.
"I thought I was going to feel stronger and be better, but next fight, I'm going to get more prepared,” Ruiz said. “I tried to train myself, kind of. Anthony Joshua did a hell of a job. I was chasing him too much instead of cutting the ring off. I was hesitating too much. Next time, I'm going to do a lot better.”
