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Andy Ruiz Jr. isn't worried about his body shape ahead of his return to the ring against Luis Ortiz on Saturday, September 3.
'Destroyer' has been out of action since his victory over Chris Arreola in May 2021. In that outing, Ruiz Jr. looked in the best shape of his career but was still forced to come from behind to score a unanimous decision victory.
Following that fight, the former heavyweight champion decided to take some time off. He linked up with new trainer Alfredo Osuna, who's taken Ruiz Jr. under his wing. The main focus of his new coach has been to sharpen his tools.
That's an approach that the heavyweight contender agrees with. He feels that he doesn't need to focus as much on his weight as he does on his skills.
Ruiz Jr. has been criticized for his laziness and came in at nearly 300-pounds for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.
Ahead of his return this Sunday against Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz Jr. is confident that he's in shape. He claimed that what he's done in the gym will matter more than what he looks like. In an interview with BoxingScene, he stated:
“I'm not here to lose so much weight. I'm trying to be fit and gain a little bit of muscle and not be too skinny. It's not a body contest. The main thing is to stay focused, stay prepared, and stay ready.”
See the interview below:
Andy Ruiz Jr. discusses his trainer change
Andy Ruiz Jr., 32, is in his third trainer in as many fights.
'Destroyer' famously shook up the world in June 2019, by knocking out Anthony Joshua and claiming heavyweight gold. He then lost a bit of focus, gained massive weight, and lost by a lopsided decision in the rematch later that year.
After his defeat to 'AJ', Ruiz Jr. replaced his longtime coach, Manny Robles, with famed trainer Eddy Reynoso. The latter is the coach of Canelo Alvarez, and has been praised for his gameplanning and strategy.
However, Andy Ruiz Jr. left the trainer after just one fight, a win over Chris Arreola. In an interview with BoxingScene, he explained why he left Eddy Reynoso.
Explaining that his camp focused more on getting into shape than working on skills, he stated:
“I'm trying to do better [in the gym] than in my last fight. I wasn't really impressed by my performance. I need to work on more technique and boxing. I focused more on losing weight, and I think that affected me in the gym. I just have to do better."
