Andy Ruiz Jr.
- Andy Ruiz Jr. has come under heavy criticism for putting on 15 pounds for his Anthony Joshua rematch, including from Lennox Lewis, Joshua himself, and the rapper LL Cool J.
- The Mexican was beaten by Joshua in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, losing his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
- Ruiz claimed he "partied for three months" in the build up to the bout.
- "I got respect for [Ruiz]," Cool J, real name James Todd Smith told TMZ. "[But] you can't come into the ring 16 pounds heavier!"
- Lewis said on Twitter that Ruiz did not take the fight seriously, whilst Joshua said Ruiz's reasoning's for defeat were "excuses."
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Andy Ruiz Jr. says he "partied for three months" in the build up to losing his world titles to Anthony Joshua on Saturday, causing him to pile on 15 pounds from the pair's previous bout.
It has seen the Mexican attract heavy scrutiny for the weight gain, including from former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Joshua himself, and rapper LL Cool J.
The New York born MC, a self professed boxing fan, told TMZ he was disappointed to see the Mexican fighter have his championship reign brought to an end so swiftly, but that a lack of self discipline was ultimately his downfall.
"I got respect for [Ruiz]," the 51-year-old said. "[But] you can't come into the ring 16 pounds heavier!
"At the end of the day when you step in the ring you gotta be ready. And, if you're not ready for whatever reason it doesn't matter, you win or you lose. And he wasn't ready."
The "Mama Said Knock You Out" rapper, who has often been seen ringside at Las Vegas fights, added: "Part of being great at anything is having the discipline to stay focused when you're successful."
Lewis made his comments about Ruiz's weight on Twitter.
"Just saw [Ruiz] saying not being fully prepared and in shape for rematch could have happened to anyone," said the Brit.
"Not true. That's a bad excuse. One person was serious about those belts and the other wasn't. Simple as that!"
Joshua beat Ruiz comprehensively in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, winning back his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles after a 12-round decision.
But while the Englishman was mostly humble in victory, he still labelled Ruiz's reasoning for the defeat as "excuses."
"I would have loved to have trained the way Andy trained!" Joshua, told ITV's Good Morning Britain, referencing his opponent's alleged preparations. "I would've loved that but that's not the way of a champion.
"He knows his mistakes, whatever they were or maybe they're excuses, he just needs to go out there and get it right and come back again."
Joshua will most likely fight his IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev next, promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN, whilst Ruiz could take on either Dominic Breazeale or Gerald Washington, says DAZN.
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Just saw @Andy_destroyer1 saying not being fully prepared and in shape for rematch could have happened to anyone. 🤦🏾♂️ Not true. That's a bad excuse. One person was serious about those belts and the other wasn't. Simple as that!
- Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis) December 11, 2019