Andy Ruiz – The Anatomy of a Kingslayer
Breaking down how Andy Ruiz shocked the world this past June, can he do it again on Saturday?
Andy Ruiz is very much an oxymoron of a boxer.
Once seen by some as a burgeoning prospect in the heavyweight division, Ruiz’s blend of intelligent ring craft and hand-speed was at odds with both his sloppy and unkept physical appearance and the typical nature of boxing’s big men. In a world with emerging 6ft-and-a-lot heavyweight hopefuls, this 6ft-and-a-little Mexican American was an outlier, whom with enough dedication and guidance could be seen as a credible player within the land of the giants. However, a controversial loss to Joseph Parker, followed by a period of inactivity and promotional uncertainty allowed the sport to pass him by like it has many others.
This was until thirty six days in spring instantly changed this young man’s career and life. In this space of time he had reunited with a dear friend and trained, taken part in a nondescript comeback fight in late April and then planted the seed (via Instagram DM) for an upset of monumental proportions and implications.
Up until June 1st, fans and media alike had largely glossed over the fundamental flaws of the would be heir to the heavyweight kingdom in multi-belt champion Anthony Joshua. Swayed by heavy hands, bright lights and big Wembley crowds, The Brit was shot up towards pound-for-pound status as if they were Forbes’ lists. Victories over current and ex-champions were used as justification, however each one had its own unique caveat. The major one being the aftermath of Joshua’s hell and back battle with Hall of Fame heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko, an experience which changed this young champion both as a fighter and a man – and not for the better.
To his credit, Joshua plucked on towards greatness time and time again with unparalleled expectation on his back and an identity crisis as a fighter to contend with – something which takes character. But he became caught in between wanting to plough forward and chop down credible opponents without the belief in his own durability whilst also displaying high level boxing finesse beyond his capabilities and experience level. Nonetheless the current version, in the eyes of many, seemed more than equipped to rule the division unopposed for a while yet due to the deficiencies (technical or otherwise) displayed by those around him.
That was until Ruiz, drafted in as a late replacement (after Jarrell Miller took all the drugs) with a fixed grin on his face and a snickers bar in his hand, tore up the script and temporarily dislodged the best laid plans for the division. Both Ruiz and his trainer Manny Robles did their homework and went after those previously displayed holes in Joshua’s framework like a man possessed. He had a response ready for everything Joshua loved to do. He pushed Anthony out of his comfort zone and ripped the pieces of gold away from the Brit within the space of twenty mystifying minutes at Madison Square Garden.
His counters and pressure made Joshua look unrecognisable to the untrained eye. So bad that some entertained rumours of varying levels of absurdity in order to excuse this ignominious demise of a perceived great champion. From Joshua being knocked out in sparring or suffering a panic attack before his ring-walk, or distracted by divisional rival Deontay Wilder scoring a highlight reel knockout a few weeks prior just up the road in Brooklyn.
Make no mistake about it, Joshua-Ruiz was no fluke. Shane Mosley had Vernon Forrest, Vernon Forrest had Ricardo Mayorga and Ricardo Mayorga had.. well seemingly every other world class fighter. On a given night, the consequences of meeting a foe who can ruthlessly expose you like no other are grave and potentially career altering. On June 1st, Andy Ruiz was uniquely equipped to punish Joshua’s flaws in a way none of his prior opponents could. Klitschko, Povetkin, and Whyte had the skill to hurt Joshua, but Ruiz also possessed the correct blend of speed, intelligence and youth to finish him off.
But that doesn’t mean Joshua’s hopeless at all. He’s still a relative newcomer to the sport of boxing who’s achieved abnormal levels of success and adulation compared to what preceded him. This is his first true roadblock as a professional. And it’s up to him whether this is where he grows into a better fighter – the sort of champion that some many expected him to be or whether this is when he folds, crashes and burns alongside the scrapheap of prize fighting’s “could have beens.”
No – his career is certainly not over with a second loss here. However the ascent towards being atop the heavyweight division would have been made significantly harder as the result of another defeat.
Now it’s just a question of whether Joshua’s bought into the “lucky punch” talk or whether he has been actually prepared to learn from his mistakes and find ways to punish Ruiz’s own within the limits of a very short turnaround between fights. And it is also a test of Ruiz’s ability to block out distractions, replicate and execute like he did when nobody expected to.
Breaking Down the Upset
Anthony Joshua throws almost everything at maximum velocity. From straights and hooks to his jab. That allows a quicker, craftier fighter like Ruiz to counter him with combinations and offset him.
This then progressed to the madness of round three. Dropped by a beautiful uppercut left hook combo by Joshua, Ruiz responds by timing Joshua coming in with a left hook as AJ attempts to replicate the same combination, akin to Klitschko and Dillian Whyte, scrambling the champion’s senses and starting the ascent to the shock of the year.
Neither fighter is renowned for his stamina, but Ruiz felt like the fresher boxer all night. An energy-sapping body-jab certainly played a role in that (while also conditioning Joshua to open up more upstairs). Interestingly enough, it was the body jab which softened up Alexander Povetkin enough for Joshua to finish him off in their fight. Unfortunately for Joshua, he got a taste of his own medicine here.
With Joshua now respecting Ruiz’s head and body shots, Andy employs level-changes to keep AJ guessing and find openings. This approach makes a foe feel hesitant and often resort to desperate means to change the trajectory of a fight.
Despite Joshua having a substantial reach advantage over Ruiz, Andy’s superior distance management often allowed him to stay out of range from danger before gliding in for a follow-up. This, coupled with Joshua’s tendency to crouch down to meet shorter opponents (conceding his height) made Andy’s night less arduous.
Despite his venerated strength, Joshua failed to control Ruiz’s hands in the clinch. This allowed the shorter limbed Mexican-American to loop around AJ’s guard. The effective end of the fight came towards the close of round six. Sickening body punches by Ruiz further sapped the remaining energy reserves the champion had. From this point it was just a matter of time.
The almost iconic exchange of knockdowns has been played endlessly, but what was even more impressive was Ruiz’s approach to getting Joshua down for a second time. He manipulates range to keep a good distance between himself and Joshua until he sees an opening. Lesser fighters would jump in hastily and end up smothering their work and potentially missing an opportunity to finish off their opponent.
Thanks to contributions from Gregory Kudryavtsev