The months of celebration had cost him everything.
Andy Ruiz Jr, the man who briefly held the heavyweight crown before losing it to celebration and excess, has begun the slow, disciplined work of rebuilding himself — enlisting elite trainer Eddy Reynoso and committing to the kind of focused preparation he once abandoned. His story is a familiar one in sport and in life: the sudden arrival of greatness, the seduction of its rewards, and the harder, quieter road back. Whether he can walk that road to its end remains the question boxing is watching.
- Ruiz Jr arrived at the rematch 15 pounds heavier than when he shocked the world, and Joshua dismantled him with the precision of a man who had spent every one of those intervening months preparing.
- The fallout was swift — a parting from his trainer delivered not by Ruiz himself but by his father, a silence that spoke louder than any post-fight press conference.
- Now he has recruited Eddy Reynoso, one of boxing's most respected coaches, and is training daily alongside Canelo Alvarez, signaling a seriousness of intent he has not previously demonstrated.
- His own words frame the stakes plainly: this is a weight loss journey, a transformation, a promise to the public and to himself — but promises have been made before.
- The path ahead mirrors Joshua's redemption arc almost exactly, and whether Ruiz Jr can sustain the discipline he once surrendered will determine whether this comeback is a story or merely a headline.
On June 1, 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr did something boxing had not anticipated: he knocked out Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden, rising from a first-round knockdown to claim three heavyweight titles. It was a stunning upset, and Ruiz Jr celebrated accordingly — supercars, jewelry, parties, a mansion in Los Angeles, all of it documented with the enthusiasm of a man who believed the good times would last.
They did not. When the rematch came in Saudi Arabia, Ruiz Jr stepped on the scale at 283 pounds, fifteen more than he had carried in victory. Joshua, meanwhile, had done the opposite — shed weight, added trainers, absorbed criticism, and arrived leaner and more tactical than before. He boxed with control all night, won by unanimous decision, and reclaimed his titles. Ruiz Jr, chasing shadows, admitted afterward that those who doubted his preparation had been right.
The split with trainer Manny Robles followed weeks later, delivered by Ruiz's father rather than the fighter himself. Then came months of near-silence, interrupted only by a brief exchange with Dillian Whyte before the pandemic stilled boxing entirely.
By May 2020, Ruiz Jr had a new direction: Eddy Reynoso, the 2019 Trainer of the Year and the architect of Canelo Alvarez's career, would guide his comeback. In early October, he announced he was beginning camp alongside Canelo himself. "It's a weight loss journey," he said. "Next time you see me I'm gonna have a six-pack."
The road he now walks is the same one Joshua walked after defeat — public doubt, a new trainer, a grueling camp, the discipline that once slipped away. Joshua proved a heavyweight could fall and return as champion. Whether Ruiz Jr can do the same depends entirely on whether this time, the scales tell a different story.
Andy Ruiz Jr stood at the pinnacle of boxing exactly once. On June 1, 2019, at Madison Square Garden, he did what no one expected: he knocked out Anthony Joshua and claimed the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles. The Mexican-American fighter, floored himself in the opening round, rose and decked the champion twice in that same round. Two more knockdowns in the seventh ended it. Referee Mike Griffin waved off the fight. Ruiz Jr spun and jumped in celebration, a moment that would define him for all the wrong reasons.
What followed was a six-month blur of acquisition. Supercars arrived. Jewelry accumulated. A mansion materialized in Los Angeles. Parties multiplied, each one documented on Instagram with the fervor of a lifestyle influencer. The champion had tasted victory and decided to taste everything else too. Some observers in boxing saw the warning signs—a man distracted, a champion losing focus before the rematch even began. Others waited to see if the scales would tell the real story.
They did. Ruiz Jr weighed 268 pounds when he defeated Joshua. For the rematch in Saudi Arabia, he stepped on the scale at 283 pounds—more than a stone heavier. Joshua, meanwhile, had shed nearly a stone himself, dropping from 247.8 to 237 pounds. There had been no new cars for the Brit, no mansion, no parties. Instead, he absorbed criticism, added trainers to his team, endured a grueling camp, and learned new tactics. Joshua boxed with precision and control, winning by unanimous decision and reclaiming his titles. Ruiz Jr chased shadows all night, unable to catch up.
At the post-fight press conference, Ruiz Jr's voice carried the weight of recognition. He admitted that those who doubted his preparation were right. He should have listened to his father and trainer Manny Robles. The months of celebration had cost him. He had grown too confident, started camp too late, and paid the price. Six weeks later, he and Robles parted ways—Ruiz Sr delivered the news rather than the fighter himself. The man who had hugged Robles in spinning celebration just seven months earlier now walked away from him entirely.
For months after, Ruiz Jr disappeared from public view. He exchanged words with Dillian Whyte, who tried to lure him into a fight, but the pandemic halted boxing anyway. In May, he announced a new direction: Eddy Reynoso, the 2019 Trainer of the Year and the man who guides Canelo Alvarez's career, would be his coach. By early October, Ruiz Jr revealed he was finally beginning camp with Reynoso and training alongside Canelo.
"I'm starting with Canelo tomorrow," he said in a social media post, his tone carrying the energy of a man who understood what was at stake. He promised focus. He promised a transformation. "It's a weight loss journey," he explained. "Next time you see me I'm gonna have a six-pack." The irony was not lost on observers: Ruiz Jr now faced the exact same path Joshua had taken. Public doubt. A new trainer. A grueling camp. The discipline he had abandoned.
Joshua had proven that a heavyweight could fall and rise again, could absorb defeat and return as a two-time champion. Whether Ruiz Jr could replicate that redemption arc depended entirely on one thing: whether he could sustain the focus he had surrendered after his first victory. The scales had spoken once. They would speak again.
Citações Notáveis
I should've listened to them, I shouldn't have put on all this weight. I got too confident in myself.— Andy Ruiz Jr, at post-fight press conference
It's a weight loss journey. Next time you see me I'm gonna have a six-pack.— Andy Ruiz Jr, announcing his comeback training
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What made that first victory so complete? Why did it matter so much?
Because no one saw it coming. Joshua was the favorite, the undefeated powerhouse. Ruiz Jr was a replacement fighter, a late substitute. He knocked out the champion at Madison Square Garden. It was one of boxing's greatest upsets. For a moment, he was untouchable.
And then he lost it all in six months?
Not lost it—threw it away. He had the titles, the respect, everything. But he treated it like a lottery win instead of a job. The supercars, the parties, the Instagram posts. He stopped training seriously. He gained fifteen pounds.
Joshua must have seen that coming.
Absolutely. Joshua did the opposite. He cut weight, added trainers, worked harder than before. He came prepared. Ruiz Jr came heavy and distracted. Joshua controlled the entire fight.
Did Ruiz Jr understand what he'd done wrong?
He admitted it at the press conference. He said those who doubted him were right. He should have listened to his father and trainer. But understanding and changing are different things.
So now he's with Canelo's coach?
Yes. Eddy Reynoso, one of the best trainers in boxing. Ruiz Jr is promising a complete transformation—a weight loss journey, he called it. He's training alongside Canelo now.
Can he actually do it? Can he come back?
Joshua did. But Joshua never lost focus the way Ruiz Jr did. The question isn't whether it's possible. It's whether Ruiz Jr has the discipline to sustain it this time.