ANDY RUIZ JR makes his long-awaited return to the ring on Saturday night after dropping TWO STONE.
At the weigh-in for his encounter with Chris Arreola, the 31-year-old had noticeably slimmed down from the portly figure that faced Anthony Joshua.
The Mexican-American shot to worldwide fame after downing the Brit in June 2019 at 268 lbs before ballooning to 284 lb for the December rematch.
Many fans felt he was in nothing like good enough shape to defend his world titles and he later agreed, making big changes to his fight routine.
Ruiz Jr has upped his training regime and undertaken a strict diet to ensure he can return to heavyweight supremacy.
And Friday’s weigh-in saw him come in at 256 lbs, a two-stone drop since his last fight.
Underdog Arreola, 40, has also slimmed down for the bout and weighed in at a career-low 228.5 lbs.
The fight takes place in Carson, California in the early hours of Sunday morning, UK time.
Deontay Wilder is a potential opponent for the victor as he too makes his way back from losing his world title belt.
Ruiz Jr has spoken openly about his change in approach and attitude – describing himself as reborn ahead of the fight.
He told USA Today: “I feel like the old Andy died and this is the new Andy.
“I feel like this is my pro debut. It means a lot because I know inside that I’m doing the right things and progressing, going to the gym and training hard.
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“It means a lot to me and hopefully the fans can see and say, ‘Andy could be more dangerous than he was before because he is more dedicated and more disciplined’.
“I started doing the stuff I shouldn’t be doing, and wasn’t training like I should be training and that’s why I was overweight and wasn’t disciplined and wasn’t focused on the right things.
“There was one day that I was so tired and sick of the way I was living.
“It was just like a spaghetti bowl, going in circles and circles, and I got tired of that life so I started telling God that if he could forgive me and give me another chance to redeem myself.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
