Andy Ruiz Jr. isn’t involved together with his newest spell of inactivity heading into Saturday’s heavyweight conflict in opposition to Jarrell Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) on August third in Los Angeles.
Miller has a superb opportunity of profitable this battle and ending Ruiz’s hopes of recapturing his world titles. Promoter Eddie Hearn predicts a win for Jarrell, and I agree. Miller is a go-getter and desires it greater than Ruiz.
I believe the $10 million that Ruiz received for his two fights in opposition to Anthony Joshua did a quantity on him, sapping him of each ounce of ambition that he as soon as needed to preserve his profession going. Ruiz purchased a mansion up within the hills, surrounded it with livestock, and hasn’t proven a lot inclination to maintain preventing.
If not for His Excellency Turki Alalshikh luring Ruiz again to battle on the undercard of Terence Crawford vs. Ismail Madrimov this Saturday on the BMO Stadium, he’d nonetheless be inactive.
Ruiz Assured Regardless of Layoff
The previous unified heavyweight champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) says he feels ring rust received’t be an issue for him on Saturday night time as a result of when he final fought two years in the past in opposition to Luis Ortiz, he was coming off an identical lengthy layoff and felt he was “sharp.”
Ruiz barely edged the 43-year-old Ortiz in that battle, so the ring rust was extra of an issue than he wished to acknowledge. It’s been a significant downside for Ruiz, and has stalled his profession, stopping him from getting the profitable trilogy match he’s been asking for in opposition to Anthony Joshua and a battle in opposition to Tyson Fury.
There have been experiences of Ruiz pricing himself out for a battle in opposition to Fury by asking for $20 million. Deontay Wilder was concerned with preventing Ruiz a few years in the past, however that battle did not pan out, too.
The 34-year-old Ruiz misplaced his IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight titles in his rematch with Anthony Joshua in December 2019. Ruiz has fought twice since, beating Chris Arreola, 40, and Luis Ortiz.
The ‘Destroyer’ Ruiz says his aim is to develop into a two-time heavyweight champion, however that doesn’t sound too life like. Maybe a extra attainable aim is for Ruiz to beat the 36-year-old Jarrell Miller on Saturday night time on the BMO Stadium after which proceed to be included in His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s occasions.
If Turki desires Ruiz to battle for a world title in opposition to whoever emerges because the champion when the smoke clears in 2025, he’s the one who could make it occur.
“I had a wonderful camp, a centered camp. I’ve a fitness center exterior of my home. All I do is prepare, after which I am going again to my home and prepare once more,” Andy Ruiz instructed DAZN Boxing about his newest comeback this Saturday night time in opposition to Jarrell Miller on August third.
Followers see Ruiz as the favourite for his battle in opposition to Miller, however he may be outworked by the extra energetic fighter. Miller nonetheless has an excellent engine regardless of being 300+ lbs, and he may be too busy for Ruiz.
Andy’s greatest likelihood of profitable this battle is scoring a knockout or dropping Miller a number of occasions, as he did together with his final opponent, Luis Ortiz. Ruiz would have misplaced to Ortiz with out the three knockdowns he scored. Ortiz gave Ruiz a boxing lesson in that battle within the rounds he didn’t get dropped.
“Lots of people have mentioned, ‘Hey, it’s been two years. Are you afraid of the ring rust that you just might need?’ Sure, and never as a result of after I fought Luis Ortiz, I had a protracted layoff, too [1.5 years], and I believed I used to be fairly sharp,” mentioned Ruiz about his final battle two years in the past in 2022.
It appears like Ruiz is in denial about his ring rust downside as a result of it’s a main situation going into his match in opposition to Miller on Saturday. Being out of the ring for 2 years will not be a joke for anybody, particularly a one-hit surprise sort of fighter like Ruiz.
Earlier than Ruiz’s miracle seventh-round upset win over Anthony Joshua on June 1st, 2019, he was an undisciplined gatekeeper with a status for not working exhausting in coaching camp.
Ruiz Focusing on Heavyweight World Title
“I felt I might have carried out higher, however I felt I used to be fairly sharp. I believe I’m going to be good [against Jarrell Miller on Saturday],” mentioned Ruiz.” I really feel like I’m going to be centered. I really feel like I’m going to be sharp. I’m going to be prepared. I do know that Jarrell Miller has been preventing. That is going to be his third or fourth battle.”
Hopefully, Ruiz is targeted on Saturday night time in opposition to Jarrell Miller, nevertheless it may not be sufficient to beat his two years of inactivity and his poor performances in opposition to 40+-year-old veterans Ortiz and Arreola in his final two fights. Ruiz hasn’t fought the kind of competitors to remain sharp, and his continual spells of inactivity make issues worse for him.
“I’m not afraid of nothing like that [being ring rusty]. I’m simply centered on the mission that I want to finish to develop into the two-time heavyweight champion of the world,” mentioned Ruiz.
