Andy Ruiz Poll

[margaret thatcher]

Does he become a long-term top 5 HW beyond the AJ fights, beating other top HWs and contenders? Or is he more like a one-opponent wonder?

I see people saying stuff like 'he's good but he won't beat the big 4' , as if Ruiz is an elite fighter. But iti's the same guy who lost to Joe Parker's jab and had a few very lacklustre wins? So I'm not convinced yet on big fat Andres.

[KiwiRider]

You nailed it Mags, he did get beaten by Parker- who is fringe top ten. Which also means a guy like Kownacki has a good chance, as does Miller- unless he is a useless fat blob off the gear.

[Spiker]

Another perspective. His loss to Parker was basically debatable even though Ruiz himself admits he wasn’t busy enough. So on the strength of that you could argue that he is unbeaten but slipped off the radar. This could be his wake up call to train harder and stay on top or just cream off the money from the Joshua fight, and not train like an athlete. It’s in his own hands as he is a good fighter. I’m concerned that in his mind he’s achieved his goal and will stuff his face and live off of his 15 mins. Even though he probably should be top four

[Ruthless-RKO]

Even if he loses this fight, he still has the best recent win from all the guys. I reckon there’ll be a 3rd fight. He’ll definitely stick around the top 10 for a few year. I do think he’ll be in the top 5 likely in the next year.

Not easy anymore, with Usyk coming up.

[oogiebe]

Long term top 10. Not top five and not 15 minutes of fame, which implies he falls off if he loses the rematch.

[Heretic]

Well Parker has been like top 5 ish fighter for long time. I had Ruiz beating him at the time.

I think Ruiz would loose to Fury.

I think he beats Wilder 8 times out of 10.

Usyk vs Ruiz would be interesting. Usyk would probably win if Ruiz didn't catch him with something clean and nasty. Usyks defense leaks a bit and with the power that Ruiz has it would not be certain outcome.

I think Parker beats Whyte on most nights. That head clash kind of ruined it the last time.

Ruiz is top 5 guy if he trains and eats like one

[Ruthless-RKO]

I think he beats Wilder 8 times out of 10.

If Wilder and Ruiz fought 10 times, guaranteed Wilder will land THAT PUNCH.

[Enlightened-One]

Apologies if this is old news, since I’ve only just seen this, but Andy Ruiz Jr. appears to have lost a lot of weight:

Before:


After:


Apparently Ruiz Jr. is hoping to face AJ around the 254lb mark, which is 14lbs less than what he weighed for their first fight, but this photo suggests that he might already be well below that target weight.

Anyway, back on topic, I thought Andy Ruiz Jr. beat Joseph Parker and the Mexican-American’s record suggests that he’s well-schooled, which is verified by the proverbial eyeball test.

If (and that’s a big IF) he retains his hunger and desire from the sport (after becoming a seriously wealthy man overnight), as well as managing his weight effectively, Ruiz Jr’s fundamental skills will always present a serious threat to all the big-name world-rated heavyweights.

I’m not saying he’s the best fighter in the division, but I think he’s that good that I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually proves his victory over AJ last June wasn’t a fluke. I do think he can beat the likes of Whyte and Wilder.

[tiny_acres]

Apologies if this is old news, since I’ve only just seen this, but Andy Ruiz Jr. appears to have lost a lot of weight:

Before:


After:


Apparently Ruiz Jr. is hoping to face AJ around the 254lb mark, which is 14lbs less than what he weighed for their first fight, but this photo suggests that he might already be well below that target weight.

Anyway, back on topic, I thought Andy Ruiz Jr. beat Joseph Parker and the Mexican-American’s record suggests that he’s well-schooled, which is verified by the proverbial eyeball test.

If (and that’s a big IF) he retains his hunger and desire from the sport (after becoming a seriously wealthy man overnight), as well as managing his weight effectively, Ruiz Jr’s fundamental skills will always present a serious threat to all the big-name world-rated heavyweights.

I’m not saying he’s the best fighter in the division, but I think he’s that good that I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually proves his victory over AJ last June wasn’t a fluke. I do think he can beat the likes of Whyte and Wilder.

Has to be photoshopped
I can't believe he lost that much

[sturm vogel]

Why does the question have to be 1 or 2? Maybe a third outcome: Ruiz knocks out that stiff robot, fights someone else and loses?

[snake33]

Ruiz will be an ups and downs kind of guy unless he gets serious and gets in shape.
Which he won't.

[Onetimeonly]

15 minutes. I don't think he likes boxing very much. I doubt he fights more than a handful more.

[Enlightened-One]

Another Andy Ruiz Jr. weight loss picture:

[Tony1244]

I voted 15 minutes but we really don't know.

[Enlightened-One]

Whilst I appreciate the fact that photos can often be misleading, Andy Ruiz Jr’s recent social media photos suggest that he’s making a concerted effort to address his obesity.

And I’m not entirely sure if this is a good thing or not, since I can’t recall any fighter throughout the history of the sport that dropped a significant amount of their typical competing weight rather quickly, which resulted in a substantial improvement in their in-ring performance.

Perhaps I’m wrong, but I simply can’t remember a single instance.

The one thing Ruiz Jr’s weight-loss photos do seem to support, is the notion that he’s highly-motivated to beat AJ again… And he is using that determination to address his weight issues, which I hope has been achieved using improved training methods, rather than via a drastic, fatiguing and unhealthy diet.

[gilgamesh]

I suspect he's Rahman all over again.

[DrDuke]

Another Andy Ruiz Jr. weight loss picture:

So, he consciously got rid of his own main power? How could he? Who is he without all those snickerses? Joshua will avenge the loss!

[Enlightened-One]

I suspect he's Rahman all over again.

You’re probably right, but was Hasim Rahman’s career really so bad? A two-time world heavyweight champion that engaged in eight world title bouts.

He had draws against the likes of James Toney and David Tua. A controversial loss to Evander Holyfield. Defeated Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders.

The Rock enjoyed a pretty decent career in my opinion.

[margaret thatcher]

Why does the question have to be 1 or 2? Maybe a third outcome: Ruiz knocks out that stiff robot, fights someone else and loses?

That's kinda something I'd put in the 15. Basically, will his top level success go beyond just AJ. He basically went from fringe-ish top 15 to like top 3 in one fight.

[DrDuke]

I suspect he's Rahman all over again.

You’re probably right, but was Hasim Rahman’s career really so bad? A two-time world heavyweight champion that engaged in eight world title bouts.

He had draws against the likes of James Toney and David Tua. A controversial loss to Evander Holyfield. Defeated Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders.

The Rock enjoyed a pretty decent career in my opinion.

Yeah, it wasn't bad at all.

[margaret thatcher]

Another Andy Ruiz Jr. weight loss picture:

Definitely looks more cut especially in the arms and shoulders. If he's losing weight and continues at that rate you gotta wonder what he'll be on fight night.

It's kinda an ironic thing, because on the one hand he's getting rid of a bunch of fat, but on the other like you say how often do we see a big weight loss lead to improvement? That said, most fighters aren't fighting nearly as overweight as Andy has with all his rolls.

[gilgamesh]

I suspect he's Rahman all over again.

You’re probably right, but was Hasim Rahman’s career really so bad? A two-time world heavyweight champion that engaged in eight world title bouts.

He had draws against the likes of James Toney and David Tua. A controversial loss to Evander Holyfield. Defeated Lennox Lewis and Corrie Sanders.

The Rock enjoyed a pretty decent career in my opinion.

He certainly did. Better than most prizefighters. I just don't see Rahman being one of THE top guys. I do suspect he'll stay in the mix similar to Rahman, but will come up on the losing end more often than not against bigger name fighters.

[Onetimeonly]

No way Ruiz reaches rahmans level.

[Enlightened-One]

Andy Ruiz Jr displaying his incredible weight loss after a training session with Michael Hunter:

To give this photo some perspective, Michael Hunter is a natural cruiserweight that chooses to compete at 215lbs, whereas Andy Ruiz Jr. was about 270lbs when he fought AJ.

The Mexican-American claims that he's only planning to lose 10lbs, but he appears to have shifted far more weight than that.

[margaret thatcher]

Looks saggy