It’s been a while since fans saw Andy Ruiz Jr. in a the ring – but the former unified heavyweight champion insists his story isn’t finished.
Fresh off hand surgery and a layoff of 15 months and counting, the 36-year-old Californian powerhouse says he’s healthy, motivated, and about to reunite with the trainer who helped guide him to one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history. The goal this time around is simple but ambitious: become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
In an exclusive chat with Covers, Ruiz (35-2-1, 22 KOs) opened up about his comeback plans, his dream opponents, his complicated history with Anthony Joshua, and strong opinions on Jake Paul and Dana White’s boxing ambitions.
Key Takeaways
- Unfinished Business: Ruiz eyes a third fight with Anthony Joshua: "There's bad blood that we left behind"
- Message Received: Ruiz tells Usyk via text he'd like to fight; Usyk responds: "We will run it up"
- Chubby Chucker: Ruiz believes Ngannou and his camp "still underestimate this chubby little man"
- Jake Paul on Notice: Ruiz slams YouTuber-turned-boxer for avoiding tough fights; says he'd finish Paul in four rounds
- Deferential to Dana: Ruiz believes UFC boss White is "going to be good for boxing"
Ruiz-Robles reunion invigorates former champ
Regardless of what Ruiz does in his next act, he'll always be the architect of one of the most unlikely championship victories in the history of the sport.
Going in as a 25-to-1 underdog against unbeaten unified champion Joshua, Ruiz earned a seventh-round TKO at a frenzied Madison Square Garden thanks in no small part to the tutelage of his then-trainer Manny Robles.
The two split in 2020, but are back together as Ruiz looks to return to glory. He hasn't fought professionally since breaking his right hand in a majority draw vs. Jarrell Miller in Los Angeles back on Aug. 3, 2024.
"(Robles and I) made history together against Anthony Joshua, and we're going to do it again," Ruiz told Covers. "I should be leaving in two weeks to Los Angeles to train with him in his facility. I'm excited to get out of my comfort zone, to go to his space and his gym, his rules, to stay dedicated."
Robles and returning coach Edgar "Estrellita" Jasso will be tasked with helping Ruiz not only shake off more than 15 months of ring rust, but return to what has become a crowded heavyweight contender scene.
"They’re going to have me in check," Ruiz said. "Those are the type of guys that don’t let me do whatever I want, like how I used to.
"I used to make my own hours, train whenever I wanted to train, before and after I became champion. But this sport is hard. It’s a lot of discipline. And I think with these coaches that don’t play around, it’s going to help me a lot."
Ruiz ready to revisit Anthony Joshua feud
Ruiz is a boxer without a bout at the moment – but when he's fight-ready, he has a laundry list of faces he'd like to punch. And as you might expect, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) tops that list.
"That's something that I would love to (do)," Ruiz told Covers. "I think that would be like the first fight that I would even want to join because, you know, there's bad blood that we left behind – especially me, losing against him in Saudi Arabia, I want my revenge."
Joshua, who Ruiz tabbed as the hardest hitter he has ever faced, is himself dealing with a long injury layoff; he hasn't seen in-ring action since losing via fifth-round KO to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Sept. 21, 2024.
The two dominated headlines in 2019, with Ruiz stunning Joshua and the rest of the boxing world in June and Joshua gaining his revenge via unanimous decision in their December rematch.
"I want another chance against him," Ruiz said. "We could do the trilogy. That's something that me and (noted British promoter) Eddie Hearn talked about as well. But I need to get back in action and get a few fights in there and start calling out these (other) big names."
Ruiz wish list includes Usyk, Ngannou
All heavyweight fighters have lists of dream opponents. And when you're the former unified heavyweight champion of the world, yours can be a little more ambitious.
So it should come as no surprise that Ruiz has targeted current undisputed champion Oleksander Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) for a future bout.
"I feel everybody’s just trying to get Usyk," Ruiz acknowledged. "Usyk is the one with the belts. Usyk is the one with the name. And Usyk is the money man. So I think that's a good fight that I'd be interested in as well."
And in a nice touch of modern fight fare, the two exchanged left hooks in each other's DMs.
"Maybe like a few weeks ago, I was messaging Usyk. I guess he sent me a message or something. I was like, 'Hey, much love, brother. I would love to get in the ring with you. It would be a pleasure.' And then he was like, “In God's timing, we will do it. We will run it up.” And I was like, "'Oh, snap.'"
Yet, while Ruiz says Usyk is his unquestioned No. 1 dream bout ("he has those belts that I had in my hand"), the list doesn't end there.
"Usyk, Tyson Fury, Joshua, and (Deontay) Wilder for sure – four of them. Those are the big names."
There's actually a fifth: Mixed martial arts/boxing superstar Francis Ngannou. But that's the one bout Ruiz isn't sure will ever happen.
"I think that would have been a fight that I’d be interested in," he told Covers. "But it all depends on them if they would take it.
"I know they still underestimate this chubby little man, this chubby Mexican man. I don’t know if they would take the fight. I don’t know if they would think it’s too dangerous or whatnot. But a fight with Ngannou, I think that would be awesome."
Changing his tune on Jake Paul
Like it or not, the boxing world presently centers around a 28-year-old Clevelander with nearly 21 million YouTube followers. And while Ruiz acknowledges that the added attention is good for the sport, he can't say the same for Jake Paul himself.
"For a minute, I thought it was good because it was getting boxing a lot of publicity," Ruiz said. "Everybody was making the sport more popular. But once he starts picking his fights – fighting older guys, smaller guys – it’s kind of disrespectful, you know?
"I don’t want to talk shit, but yeah – I think it’s kind of disrespectful for him to choose smaller or older fighters."
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) had been set to face Gervonta "Tank" Davis on Nov. 14, but that bout was scrapped after Davis was mentioned in a civil lawsuit that accused him of violent behavior, battery, and kidnapping. Subsequently, ex-MMA star Nate Diaz announced Wednesday that he has accepted a rematch with Paul, who beat Diaz via unanimous decision in August 2023.
So who would Ruiz like to see square up Paul next?
"I think I would like for him to fight Andy Ruiz," he deadpanned.
"I think I would like to see him fight a tough fighter – somebody that’s on his level and in the same weight class. I think (the Davis bout) would have been a good fight. If Gervonta would have been sticking and moving and counter-punching him – I don’t know. Anything could happen in this sport. But I just want him to fight someone legit."
He didn't miss a beat when asked how would a Paul-Ruiz fight would play out.
"I think like four rounds," he told Covers. "I think I would be pressuring him, hitting him in the body, feinting, throwing my combinations. I think four rounds."
Ruiz bullish on Dana White's foray into boxing
Count Ruiz among the supporters of Dana White's entry into the boxing ring.
The CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship made a splash last march by launching Zuffa Boxing, a league modeled after the UFC. Suggesting at the time that boxing is "broken", White joined forces with Turki Al-Sheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, to create the new organization.
Ruiz believes White's fight knowledge and business acumen could lead boxing to a whole new golden area.
"I think he could be successful," Ruiz said. "He knows how to promote a fight – not just in boxing, but from his UFC experience. He’s done amazing things there. I think teaming up with Turki Al-Sheikh will give them both a lot of power and knowledge.
Dana’s going to show him a lot of things that’ll help boxing – maybe even creating new belts and organizations. I think it’s good. Hopefully, they give me a chance to fight in one of their events soon."
As for White's contention that boxing needs a Band-Aid, he sees some truth to it.
"Probably just getting the right fights made," he suggested. "There are too many promoters, too many middlemen who hurt the fighters. Any promoter that truly helps fighters – that’s what we need."
