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LOS ANGELES – Andy Ruiz Jr. aims to weigh between 260 to 265 pounds when he steps on the scales to fight Luis Ortiz on Sept. 4 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on FOX pay-per-view.
“Nothing crazy,” Ruiz told a group of reporters that included BoxingScene.com.
“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.”
The rotund Ruiz (34-2, 22 KOs) has always had to answer questions about his weight ever since his career kicked off at 297½ pounds in 2009. Ruiz has weighed as low as 246 for a fight.
When he shocked and stopped Anthony Joshua in their first fight in June 2019, Ruiz was 268 pounds. But by the December rematch later that year, Ruiz ballooned to 283½ pounds and dropped the heavyweight titles to Joshua. Ruiz blamed his lack of conditioning as the main reason for the loss.
Ruiz will have his third head trainer in three fights as he prepares for Ortiz.
Coach Anthony Osuna has replaced Eddy Reynoso, who replaced Manny Robles.
“I’m trying to do better than in my last fight [against Chris Areola in May 2021],” said Ruiz. “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.”
Ruiz said he got a head start on training this time around by hitting the gym beginning in May. He’s looking to avoid ring rust after fighting once in 33 months.
“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,” said Ruiz. “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.
“Being the type of fighter that I am, I love to do mitts. Without doing mitts, I feel off. I like to throw combinations and be explosive. We’ve been doing mitts almost every single day. It’s a blessing to have … When I was with Eddy, [Osuna] was still there helping us out. He has a good relationship with Eddy as well. Osuna is helping my other fighters as well … I told him that I was going to bring him to help me do the mitts. This is what I need to do – all the tools that I didn’t do in my last camp.”
Ruiz is also not closing the door on a reunion with Reynoso.
“Me and Eddy have a great relationship – with Canelo Alvarez as well. But they understand. Canelo has a tough fight under his belt as well [against Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 17]. We both needed our fair time. There’s nothing bad going on between us.”
Ruiz said having his own gym in San Diego has allowed him to train better under his own preferred terms and schedule.
“I learned discipline and me having to work hard, especially,” said Ruiz. “I feel once you do that, you become more disciplined. It becomes more of a habit. It’s more motivating.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.