Andy Ruiz Jr. was sporting new Gucci sneakers, a thick bracelet packed with diamonds and a ring with enough bling to impress Floyd Mayweather.
These are just a few of the spoils Ruiz has enjoyed since upsetting Anthony Joshua in June at Madison Square Garden to capture three of the four major heavyweight championship belts.
The stunning seventh-round TKO over previously unbeaten Joshua made Ruiz the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage and launched celebrations from Mexico to his home in Imperial Valley, Calif. Along the way, Ruiz has treated himself to some of the finer things in life, raising questions of whether he has overindulged in his success and won’t be ready for the rematch, set for Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz (33-1, 21 KOs) discounted that notion during a press conference this week in Manhattan to announce the bout, which DAZN will livestream in the United States.
“Just because I bought some jewelry and things I’ve always wished for and always wanted, it doesn’t mean I’m not focused,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that I’m not hungry anymore. This is not enough. I want more. I want more legacy. I want to win more fights. People who say I’m not focused, they’re crazy.”
Ruiz was a 25/1 underdog in some circles when he looked to be the foil for Joshua’s debut in America. At 6-foot-2 and 268 pounds, he looked like someone from a Tough Man competition next to the chiseled, 6-6, 248-pound Englishman.
But after being knocked down in the third round, Ruiz got up and used his hand speed to overwhelm Joshua, knocking him down twice in the same round and two more times in the seventh before the bout was stopped.
Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) has said he’ll be more focused in the rematch than in the first fight, when he talked more about fighting WBC champion Deontay Wilder and former champion Tyson Fury than he did Ruiz.
“We all have good days and bad days,” Ruiz said. “I feel there’s no excuses. Who knows what was going through his head. The main thing is on Dec. 7 he has another opportunity to get the belts back and I have the opportunity to prove that it wasn’t a lucky shot or whatever.”
Ruiz says he plans to fight at a lighter weight “to feel stronger and faster.” He has also studied video of the first fight to critique his mistakes in the bout.
“We’ve been watching that fight over and over,” Ruiz said. “I’ve seen some of the mistakes that I made. I don’t want to say what they were because I want to improve on them. The main thing is to get back in the gym and keep training and remain the champion.”
There were reports that Ruiz had balked at the idea of the rematch being the United Kingdom and had initial concerns about fighting in Saudi Arabia before financial and security concessions were made. Ruiz said those negotiations were between his management team and promoter Matchroom Boxing.“I would fight wherever,” Ruiz said. “The team negotiated. I don’t think it’s my business to say ‘I want to fight here or there.’ Wherever it is, I’m going to be ready. He came all the way over here [in June]. I would have gone back [to the UK]. But they made it in Saudi Arabia. I think it’s a fair choice.”
Ruiz said he has no concerns about security after attending a press conference there earlier this week.
“People are saying bad things about over there because they have different rules and beliefs,” Ruiz said. “But when I went, they welcomed me and everything was organized very well. There’s nothing bad to say about that. It’s going to be an historic venue and an historic fight. I’m ready to make history again.”