02-05-2020, 03:10 PM
Deontay Wilder: I Was Very Disappointed in Andy Ruiz
By Boxing Clever Published On Mon Feb 3, 2020, 09:13 PM EST
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is shaking his head when discussing Andy Ruiz's one-sided decision loss to Anthony Joshua from back in December in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz shocked the entire sport when he dropped Joshua four times before the contest was stopped in the seventh round. Ruiz, who took the fight on late notice and was widely viewed as a massive underdog, captured the IBF, WBA, IBO, WBO world titles with the win.
But the rematch was a different kind of fight.
It was revealed in the aftermath of the loss, that Ruiz had partied for two months following his big win. He entered training camp late, and because of that he was overweight and out of shape of the second fight.
He was unable to get off with his punches, was plodding around the round, and that allowed Joshua to easily outbox him over twelve rounds.
Before the rematch, and before he knew about the antics of Ruiz, Wilder had picked the Mexican boxer to win the rematch with another knockout.
"I was very disappointed in Andy Ruiz, maybe because I was so invested in it. I really wanted to see him really achieve greatness. Especially where he came from in boxing, almost getting evicted from his apartment. I don't know what eviction feels like -- and I never want to know what that feels like to be homeless -- but that was the verge that he was on, and an angel came and saved him. Gave him an opportunity, a GREAT opportunity to be a megastar [against Joshua]," Wilder told Steve Kim of ESPN.
"Ruiz beat him, knocked him out, knocked him down four times and got him out of there. He had the biggest fight of his life -- he let it all go [in the rematch]."
By Boxing Clever Published On Mon Feb 3, 2020, 09:13 PM EST
WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is shaking his head when discussing Andy Ruiz's one-sided decision loss to Anthony Joshua from back in December in Saudi Arabia.
Ruiz shocked the entire sport when he dropped Joshua four times before the contest was stopped in the seventh round. Ruiz, who took the fight on late notice and was widely viewed as a massive underdog, captured the IBF, WBA, IBO, WBO world titles with the win.
But the rematch was a different kind of fight.
It was revealed in the aftermath of the loss, that Ruiz had partied for two months following his big win. He entered training camp late, and because of that he was overweight and out of shape of the second fight.
He was unable to get off with his punches, was plodding around the round, and that allowed Joshua to easily outbox him over twelve rounds.
Before the rematch, and before he knew about the antics of Ruiz, Wilder had picked the Mexican boxer to win the rematch with another knockout.
"I was very disappointed in Andy Ruiz, maybe because I was so invested in it. I really wanted to see him really achieve greatness. Especially where he came from in boxing, almost getting evicted from his apartment. I don't know what eviction feels like -- and I never want to know what that feels like to be homeless -- but that was the verge that he was on, and an angel came and saved him. Gave him an opportunity, a GREAT opportunity to be a megastar [against Joshua]," Wilder told Steve Kim of ESPN.
"Ruiz beat him, knocked him out, knocked him down four times and got him out of there. He had the biggest fight of his life -- he let it all go [in the rematch]."