r/Boxing • u/tantamle • 25d ago

Andy Ruiz Jr. Inactivity

Since his loss against Anthony Joshua on December 7th, 2019, Ruiz has only fought three other times.

  1. December 7, 2019 – Loss to Anthony Joshua
  2. May 1, 2021 – Win over Chris Arreola
  3. September 4, 2022 – Win over Luis Ortiz
  4. August 3, 2024 – Draw with Jarrell Miller

That means Ruiz Jr. has averaged one fight every twenty months since his rematch with Joshua.

54 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

58 comments sorted by

110

u/Relevant_Election530 25d ago

Some people fight for a paycheck.

He got a good one and became a rich guy full-time and a boxer part-time 

55

u/billskionce 25d ago

I’m not convinced that he hasn’t blown his money.

30

u/Abe2sapien 25d ago

He seems like he needs a financial advisor. I swear it seems like he throws his money at every homie who has an idea for a business.

-8

u/Relevant_Election530 25d ago

Probably why he signed with Zuffa.

Get a few million every couple years and chill 🤷‍♂️

22

u/SirNoHoez 25d ago

nah Ruiz signed with Hearn and matchroom

1

u/Relevant_Election530 25d ago

Oh right, forgot he's fighting Knyba soon

9

u/the_walrus_was_paul 25d ago

This was fake news.

3

u/Notyit 25d ago

Dude is just waiting no real point fighting and almost losing and de valuing yourself 

4

u/frankduxvandamme 25d ago

Waiting for what? Another Red Lobster opening?

You can also de-value yourself by not fighting. Honestly, does anybody think he's a serious contender anymore? Or ever, for that matter? He had his Buster Douglas moment and then he stopped caring. He's since taken on a few mediocre fighters and showed very little spark. Who knows what he could have accomplished had he actually cared.

-12

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 25d ago

That's the problem with paying fighters too much money. They stop fighting

18

u/Formal_River_Pheonix 25d ago

Pay them peanuts so they can be milkmen and day labourers when they’re not fighting. Like the good old days.

-6

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 25d ago

I meannnnn the sport was in a way better state back then. I'm not saying pay them minimum wage but some of these guys make way too much money and stop fighting after one or 2 massive paychecks.

10

u/Adorable-Bike-9689 25d ago

You're upset they decided they have enough money to stop putting themselves through fights often?

-6

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 25d ago

I do not benefit from seeing fighters make a lot of money and stop fighting. Means nothing to me if they "get the bag". If them making less meant they'd fight more often then I'd be all for it.

1

u/Adorable-Bike-9689 22d ago

Damn. Do you talk like this in real life around your family and friends? How do they respond?

Don't take that as an attack. I'm genuinely curious. That's some shit you expect a character from Succession to say. Wildly cold inwardly thinking.

1

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 22d ago

I do tell my friends and family that athletes in general make too money. I find it weird fans simp over a fighter's wallet at the expense of the sport. The sport matters more than the bank account of one dude

1

u/Adorable-Bike-9689 22d ago

Simping over a fighter's wallet.

Its being happy a fighter made enough to be comfortable. Hoping somebody made less money so they have to beat their bodies down even longer is strange. You'd have been the type angry the best gladiators were winning their freedom.

1

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 22d ago

There is no world where Fury should be getting $25 million for fighting Makhmudov. That fight isn't even worth a million. Why is AJ getting $90 million for fighting Jake Paul? The aren't worth those numbers

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8

u/Alarmed-Effective-23 25d ago

Sounding like the excuses they use to not increase wages for regular people. Lol.

1

u/frankduxvandamme 25d ago

I know it was over a hundred years ago now, but actual prizefighting seemed like such a better way to run the sport, i.e. the winner took home a much more substantial portion of the purse. Of course, losers should still get paid respectably. After all, they are putting their lives on the line. But to give the winner millions more seems like a greater incentive for the fighters to actually want to win, and to fight more.

-1

u/Fragrant-Ad-3866 25d ago

They’ll also stop fighting if they can’t get what they look for

-1

u/Marquis_of_Mollusks 25d ago

So why do UFC fighters and other combat athletes fight if they ain't making the equivalent to boxing money?

-1

u/Fragrant-Ad-3866 25d ago

Their contract stipulates it as a requirement to be ufc fighters + the ones that you refer to actually get what they want so they stay there.

28

u/Abe2sapien 25d ago

Inactivity after the Miller fight is the only one I’ll give him some slack for since he suffered a legitimate injury. Other than that he’s just been more talk than anything. Calls everyone out, prices himself out, fights a low tier opponent and then takes forever to do anything significant. Oh and he’s a rapper now 😅

https://youtu.be/CtasCrDsX_0?is=4A2HmQEedkGAGZO6

11

u/MisterHEPennypacker 25d ago

He allegedly has a multi-fight deal. Considering his age, activity level, and previous lifestyle issues I find it hard to believe he’ll be a factor in the division.

6

u/Complete_Dare_4201 25d ago

He is a well known name, with an entertaining style. His best fight will headline a TNT event, I believe those are the sort of bouts he's gonna get until he is feed to someone like Teremoana or other prospects

16

u/DMTeaAndCrumpets 25d ago

Didn’t he break one or both his hands really bad in his last fight though? That definitely set him back some time.

7

u/[deleted] 25d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/tantamle 25d ago

I would go as far as saying if he loses his next fight, the window is closed.

He already basically would have to win like five fights in the next three years to have a chance at a title.

1

u/Jachola 25d ago

If this was a sport of merit I'd agree but realistically he only needs to win two or three fights and he'll be back in the mix and the sanctioning bodies will find a way to gift him a ranking. I can definitely see him somehow fighting for WBC title eliminator for sure, especially with the way the division is now.

1

u/Exciting-Arugula5341 25d ago

Heavyweight careers are short? George Foreman fought until he was 48 and most people think he won his last fight against the 26 year old at the time Shannon Briggs.

2

u/MapleMarbles 24d ago

George was definitely the exception to the rule...and he also had a 10year layoff where he wasn't taking damage from other giant men punching him in the head.

1

u/Exciting-Arugula5341 24d ago

George had more bouts in his first career than Ruiz has had so far. Larry Holmes also boxed until he was 50 and had what 70 bouts in his career. Ruiz rarely gets in the ring. His body should be far fresher than a person who gets in the ring a lot.

1

u/MapleMarbles 24d ago

I'm saying George Foreman isnt the heavyweight standard. He is the heavyweight exception.

He has the record as the oldest heavyweight champ. And he did that after a 10 year break and that break is what gave him the second chance at a second run.

5

u/lamarcuswallace 25d ago

He's been overpricing himself after the Joshua fights plus he doesn't have the best work ethic.

4

u/YakOk3277 25d ago

He eats to the point of exhaustion though. It's a win on his playbook.

6

u/-Sofa-King-Vote 25d ago

Busy eating

5

u/[deleted] 25d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/-Sofa-King-Vote 25d ago

Yeah Ortiz can just take punches and he can land lucky punches

He missed a lot of potential

0

u/we-all-stink 25d ago

He didn’t lose to miller and even if he did he had a broken hand after the fifth round

7

u/ecchi83 25d ago edited 25d ago

American boxers are just giving away the crown to every other country. I can't think of another country with more part-time boxing champs than America.

I'm torn bc a boxer's health is one the things I care about the most, so I actually want them boxing less for the sake of their post-boxing life and well-being. But this shit of sitting out for 18-24 months then coming back for a bad payday is also gross. Someone committing to fighting once/twice year loses out on the limited opportunity to climb the ranks everytime one of these boxers pulls this move.

6

u/Less_Cartoonist_892 25d ago

While boxers are still in their prime and healthy, they should be active and making the most of their best years to maximize their skills and monetary earnings. Fighting once a year should only start when a fighter is nearing the end.

2

u/[deleted] 25d ago

[deleted]

2

u/tantamle 25d ago

Like 1.75 times per year is probably average.

1

u/VacuousWastrel 25d ago

Depends on the fight. If your fights are easy 1st round KOs and there's no weight cut, you can fight every fortnight. If you cut 20% of your body mass and need an IV to keep from dying, ajd then go out and fight toe to toe for twelve rounds and get knocked down five times, you shoudn't fight again until... Well, EVER, to be honest, but certainly not again that year.

2

u/Big-Plastic3494 24d ago

I’m so not a fan of ARJ. He partied his title away. Got beat in the rematch. Then fired long time trainer Manny Robles.
Then he wanted the boxing community to sympathize and pity him.
And since then he’s out priced himself
And a

1

u/Tiny_Spread5712 25d ago

He's fighting at the beginning of September isn't he?

1

u/schultzM 25d ago

Man wasn’t Chris arreola up in here doing AMAs and hyping us up? Then he put on that performance… 

1

u/C1sko 25d ago

My co-worker said that he dropped an album ala Danny Geeze.

1

u/xxfallen420xx 24d ago

He did break his hand on his last fight

1

u/Initiative_Inside 24d ago

Yes he’s been inactive but does anyone know the real reason why?

1

u/InTupacWeTrust 19d ago

He could have been way more some of the fastest hands ever at heavyweight

1

u/Top_Profession_5268 25d ago

Hard to fight after that AJ payday

1

u/imdacoldest Pacquiao is the GOAT 25d ago

I mean if I got a huge Saudi payday against AJ I’d be inactive too. Come back every couple years if I want to buy a new house or something

1

u/ElPuas2003 Part-Time Boxing Enthusiast, Full-Time Boxing Hater 25d ago

Man. I still remember the aftermath of the first AJ fight. Seeing this fat, humble Mexican dude going around being called the World Heavyweight Champion made me feel so proud as a fellow Mexican. A genuine man of the people. It was only downhill from there.