Andy Ruiz isn’t focusing on looking ‘the part’ when he faces Luis Ortiz next month. The former heavyweight champion has his eyes on reclaiming the sport’s top prize and he can get one step closer to that dream with victory over the Cuban in Los Angeles on September 4.
Ruiz shocked the world in the summer of 2019 when he dropped Anthony Joshua four times on his way to a stunning seventh round stoppage. The Brit would gain revenge later that year against an unmotivated Ruiz, and the likeable Mexican sees similarities in his upcoming fight to the night he first fought ‘AJ.’
“The main focus has just been training my skills,” said Ruiz when speaking with BoxingScene.
“This isn’t a weightlifting contest, so I’ve been getting back to what originally made me a champion. I’m not here to lose weight or look the part, I just want to be the part.
“I’ve been doing this all my life. I’ve been fighting since I was six years old, so the muscle memory is there. I needed this long training camp for this type of fight. That’s going to help me get comfortable in this fight. I think this is a similar fight for me to the Anthony Joshua fight, it’s just that he’s a lefty. We have a great team and we’re working hard. Sept. 4 is going to be a hell of a fight.”