Former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz Jr (34-2, 22 KOs) is following the ‘function over form’ mantra as he prepares to lock horns against Luis Ortiz at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on 4th September.
For Luis Ortiz, I have to be big and strong: Andy Ruiz Jr
Back in 2019, when he defeated Anthony Joshua to win the unified titles, Ruiz weighed in at 268 pounds. However, in the rematch, a more lackluster version of him clocked 283.5 pounds on the scale.
While ‘The Destroyer’ has shown incredible physical transformation since the AJ rematch, which was even seen in his performance against Chris Arreola in May last year, Ruiz opines that the sport is ‘not a body contest’ and while he’s one of the bulkier heavyweights, he reveals having no plans for slimming down anymore.
“Nothing crazy,” Ruiz spoke to BoxingScene.com and several other reporters during a recent media conference, “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.”
“I’m trying to do better than in my last fight [Arreola],” Ruiz went on, “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. For Ortiz, I have to be big. I have to be strong. Most importantly, I have to be conditioned and explosive. I can’t underestimate him. He’s big. He’s strong. He moves around well.”
“Things could happen, you know. I’ve been fighting since 6 years old. This is the only job I’ve ever had in my life. That’s why we had a long training camp so we can get ready for the fight. Muscle memory is going to kick in,” Ruiz concluded, “I have two trainers that are on me 100% all the time. All of the time is for me. It’s kind of harder on me, but this is exactly what I need.”
