Andy Ruiz Jr.: The Definition of a Fighter
On Saturday night, Andy Ruiz Jr. caused one of the bigger upsets in recent boxing memory, when he dispossessed British heavyweight Anthony Joshua of his IBF, IBO, and WBO championship belts by seventh-round knockout at the historic Madison Square Garden. What started out as a big night for Joshua, who was fighting for the first time in the United States, quickly turned into a nightmare, following a third-round knockdown by Ruiz.
After the knockdown, Joshua never appeared to regain his composer. And, from then on, it was all “The Destroyer,” who knocked Joshua down several more times before ending the fight in the seventh round. Ruiz’s victory stunned the capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden and put any talk of a unification fight with American champion Deontay Wilder on “pause.” In response to the fight, many people were quick to point out the obvious physical disparities between Joshua and Ruiz. But, the “sweet science” has long proven that there is a difference between being an “athlete” and a
“fighter.”
Entering the fight, Joshua had all the hype. The statuesque British boxer was riding high, following an impressive amateur career that earned him a Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and a perfect professional career (22–0). Indeed, of the three big names in heavyweight boxing (Joshua, Wilder, and fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury), Joshua is the only one to hold a knockout victory over former champion Wladimir Klitschko. And, even with Fury having also defeated Klitschko and recording a draw with Wilder, many boxing analysts favored Joshua, whose career hasn’t been plagued with similar bouts of inactivity.
Unfortunately, how you look weighing in on the scales has no impact on the outcome of a fight. And, when it came down to it, Joshua’s muscles may have hurt more than helped his performance against the “doughy” Ruiz, who while nowhere near as impressive physically still had all the necessary attributes to procure the victory.
To be clear, Ruiz was not Joshua’s initial opponent, when the date was booked for his United States’ debut. Joshua was set to fight fellow American heavyweight Jarrell Miller. But, following multiple failed drug tests by Miller, that fight was cancelled. Needing a quick replacement, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, settled on Ruiz, who was coming off a victory over Alexander Dimitrenko. That Hearn regrets his decision to pick Ruiz in hindsight is a virtual certainty. But, the quick turnaround meant that Ruiz would have only five weeks to prepare for what turned out to be the biggest fight of his career.
Yet, Ruiz appeared “fit” for the task — even if his body may have suggested otherwise. And, he appeared to approach his task with a “childlike innocence,” as he and his team prepared for their “mission” — to shock the boxing world. This childlike innocence continued to be on display before, during, and after the fight (albeit without Ruiz enjoying one of his usual pre-fight Snickers). Because, while Ruiz may not have been able to enjoy the benefits of a full training camp, he needed no time to prepare what he would need most on fight night — his heart. Ruiz has the heart of a fighter — the heart of a champion. Something that it soon became apparent Joshua had left in the United Kingdom on fight night. So, even with suffering an early knockdown, Ruiz rose from the canvas undaunted, and continued to fight onward — quickly “returning the favor” to Joshua. And, in the process, Ruiz showed us the difference between an “athlete” and a “fighter.”
Obviously, Ruiz will now face Joshua in an immediate rematch, which Hearn said will likely take place in England in November or December. Many fighters have suffered setbacks, and still gone on to have impressive careers. And, to his credit, Joshua did rally from a knockdown to defeat Klitschko. Additionally, we’re discussing the heavyweight division, where one move can mean the difference between winning the fight and waking up in the hospital. Personally, I’d love to see Joshua team up with Johnathon Banks, an understudy of the late great Emanuel Steward who had a tremendous impact on the renaissance of Klitchsko’s career following a similar setback against Corrie Sanders. Banks could really help Joshua maximize his tremendous physical advantages. Also, Joshua will need to fight much smarter in the rematch and avoid the same deadly exchanges, which cost him in the first fight.
Assuming Ruiz is victorious again, he will then have his pick of major fights against Fury or Wilder. Whether Ruiz will be able to make “lightning strike twice” in either of those fights remains to be seen. Certainly, both fighters will likely pose more difficulty for “The Destroyer” — Wilder with his “Thor’s Hammer” and Fury with his well-used reach advantage. But, no matter how they eventually turn out, one thing is certain: Ruiz will come to fight.
Xavier J. Audick is a Georgetown University Law Center graduate and writer. He is also a big sports fan and long-time advocate of the “sweet science.” For all things sports, make sure to follow him on Twitter.
