But I was like, man, God made me champion being the way that I am–being a husky kid that was explosive and fast. “I kind of focused on what other people were, who are criticizing me, of me being big and whatnot. “I kind of focused too much on losing weight,” Ruiz said. Ruiz doubled down on those comments while talking to FanSided. I’m not here to lose weight or look the part, I just want to be the part.” This isn’t a weightlifting contest, so I’ve been getting back to what originally made me a champion. 4 pay-per-view bout against Luis Ortiz, Ruiz said, “The main focus has just been training my skills. He might have let his critics get too inside of his head.ĭuring the first press conference for his Sept. Ruiz lost weight, but that didn’t translate to improvement in the ring. Ruiz was dropped in round 2 by Arreola and looked vulnerable throughout the battle. Ruiz won the fight by unanimous decision, but he didn’t show much improvement. Ruiz lost close to 30 pounds before his 2021 contest against veteran Chris Arreola. He told news outlets that he was making it a goal to lose weight, and he did. It has been somewhat of a constant.Īfter losing to Joshua, Ruiz felt hyperfocused on his body image. Ruiz has been an open book regarding his weight and the mean-spiritedness he has encountered throughout his life. This is a lonely sport, and especially a mental sport.” “You know, we all go through rollercoasters, you know, especially as fighters. “It was all the above, especially on social media and all that,” Ruiz said to FanSided. He read the insults and also heard them from people around him. If you thought Ruiz was not reading the shots being taken at his weight, you were wrong. The haters help generate an online echo chamber, where the vilest comments are approved. When people make personal attacks against celebrities and athletes, they feel comfortable acting like a fool because social media provides them anonymity, and their target is a popular figure. The way that many people treated Ruiz after the Joshua loss was cruel and uncalled for. The personal attacks against Ruiz were at full strength, and many felt justified in making them because Ruiz lost. Boxing fans on social media echoed those sentiments. Ruiz admitted that he lacked focus during camp and wasn’t adequately prepared, but he was ridiculed more for his weight than his lack of work ethic.īoxing promoter Frank Warren called Ruiz an ‘elephant’ and a ‘disgrace’ (h/t Sporting News). Ruiz came in at 283.5 pounds, which was 15.5 pounds more than his victory over Joshua. When Ruiz lost the rematch to Joshua six months later, his weight was the focus.
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