Andy Ruiz Jr. may have questions requested of him by Jarrell Miller this Saturday night time that may inform if he nonetheless has the hearth to proceed within the sport.
(Picture credit score: Melina Pizano/Matchroom Boxing)
The previous unified heavyweight champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) shall be coming off a layoff to battle Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) in an entertaining struggle on the Riyadh Season occasion on the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Curse of Complacency
Promoter Eddie Hearn doubts whether or not the rich 34-year-old Ruiz nonetheless has the love for the game to win this struggle in opposition to Miller, who wants a win greater than him.
After 5 years, Ruiz would have returned to the highest if he cherished the game, however he’s clearly content material. You’ll be able to argue the one purpose Ruiz has gotten off the couch to struggle on this card is as a result of he was requested.
Ruiz has earned $10 million within the sport from his two fights in opposition to Anthony Joshua in 2019, and it’s much less essential for him if he loses.
“Principally, what’s occurred with Andy Ruiz is he’s made a ton of cash, and that’s in all probability modified him. That’s not his fault, by the way in which. That’s only a pure factor to occur,” Eddie Hearn instructed Boxing King Media about Andy Ruiz’s large fall off since his upset win over Anthony Joshua in June 2019.
Ruiz’s Diminished Want
Ruiz has proven curiosity in persevering with his profession, however his downside is that he’s solely wished the big-money fights in opposition to Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. He wasn’t about to get these fights, given how poor he appeared in his rematch with Joshua in December 2019.
Ruiz had turn into spoiled and didn’t need to work his means again by combating his strategy to the highest, as regular one-hit wonders do once they’re introduced again all the way down to earth.
He’s set in life, dwelling in a wonderful mansion in Southern California, and shall be fantastic so long as he doesn’t lose all of it in divorces the way in which some fighters do.
“He gained the Joshua struggle. He rematched Joshua. He made an enormous sum of money over these two fights,” Hearn continued about Ruiz. “He misplaced his means slightly bit and got here again and had a few fights [Chris Arreola & Luis Ortiz].”
Ruiz took a two-year break after his loss to Joshua after which didn’t come again till combating 40-year-old Chris Arreola. He then fought Luis Ortiz and took one other two-year layoff. The cash has modified Ruiz, and it’s disappointing to see a fighter throw their profession away like he’s finished.
“Possibly he had some issues happening and misplaced slightly bit of affection for the sport. Now, you’re actually going to search out out what he has for the sport, what sort of love he has for the game. The extra I understand that after you lose the love and want, it’s simply throughout,” mentioned Hearn.
Hearn places it frivolously by saying that Ruiz has misplaced love for the sport. Whenever you routinely take two-year breaks from the game, I’d say that’s a great signal that you simply’re not into it anymore.
The stuff that Ruiz talks about, saying he needs a trilogy match in opposition to Anthony Joshua and a rematch with Joseph Parker, sounds deluded. He’s not energetic sufficient to get any of these fights. It’s probably that win or lose on Saturday, Ruiz will disappear for an additional two-year break except Turki Alalshikh lures him again by waving some inexperienced below his nostril.
A Profession Outlined by Inactivity
“You’ll be able to minimize corners and squeak your means by means of and get slightly bit fortunate,” mentioned Hearn. “If you happen to’re ok, it doesn’t actually matter, however when it comes all the way down to it, and whenever you get requested questions, that’s whenever you discover out. It’s simply whether or not Jarrell can ask these questions if he’s ok to do this.”
Ruiz is treating his profession in a means that implies he solely fights when he needs to get a fast refill for his checking account. He’s not even combating every year, and it’s fairly apparent that he views the game as only a part-time gig to generate income.
If Ruiz nonetheless cherished boxing, he’d be combating two to a few occasions yearly as an alternative of as soon as each two years. He’s not the identical fighter he was again in 2019.
Even the out-of-shape 283-lb model of Ruiz that misplaced to Joshua of their rematch in December 2019 is healthier than the 2024 model. Ruiz appeared washed in his final look in opposition to 43-year-old Luis Ortiz in 2022, and he was fortunate to win that struggle.
“Jarrell is fairly ballsy. If he’s match sufficient and he can get into the struggle, I believe he’s received an incredible probability. He might not be ok. Andy is an excellent fighter, and he could also be too good for him. But when Jarrell can deliver him into the struggle, do you truthfully imagine that if it will get actually powerful that Andy goes to have the need to struggle by means of that spell?” mentioned Hearn.
Miller has an excellent probability of successful this struggle if he can drag Ruiz right into a struggle and outwork him. Ruiz principally fights in spurts, and he’s there to be hit whereas he’s resting. If Miller places it on Ruiz, throwing 80+ punches per spherical, he’ll win.
It’s unclear whether or not Miller has the engine to struggle onerous for a full ten rounds with out tiring out and falling sufferer to Ruz’s heavy pictures. In Miller’s current knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, he fought nicely for the primary half however then gassed out and stopped within the tenth.
Ruiz isn’t as younger and gifted as Dubois, however he used to have the ability to put his punches collectively earlier than he stopped combating 5 years in the past. He’ll be an excessive amount of for Miller if he nonetheless has a few of that means left.
