ANDY RUIZ JR was so devastated after defeat to Anthony Joshua, all he wanted to do was ‘crawl under my bed and just hide and eat Cheerios’.
The Mexican-American shocked the world in June 2019 as he stepped in for drug cheat Jarrell Miller and upset Anthony Joshua.
But six months later, after neglecting hard training for party and parading, Ruiz ballooned up to 20STONE and surrendered the titles in the rematch.
It caused the once underdog champion to fall into depression, so much so he piled on even more weight.
Ruiz, 31, told the Daily Mail: “It could have happened to anybody. And I don’t want it to happen to nobody
“I just wanted to crawl under my bed and just hide and eat Cheerios.”
Since the loss, only Ruiz’s second in 35 fights, he has relocated to Canelo Alvarez’s adopted US home of San Diego.
BODY TRANSFORMATION
There, he has dramatically transformed his body under esteemed coach Eddy Reynoso, dropping to 18st 4lb.
It was the much needed structure he was missing in his training camp, having lost focus while doing things his own way after winning the belts.
Ruiz said: “Everything has changed. It’s all different. My mentality, my spirit, everything.
“When I weighed-in in Saudi Arabia, I was 283lb. I easily fought at 300 pounds. Right now I’m at 258. I’m lighter than I was for the first fight.
“But the most important thing is outside of the gym. I’ve learned how to discipline myself and not go crazy. I don’t try to overeat like I used to.”
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Ruiz is training with a strength and conditioning coach for the first time, and working under a strict structure.
He explained: “I was basically making my own schedule. There were no rules. I did whatever I wanted.”
Ruiz has been famed for his love of Snickers, even receiving a belt from the chocolate bar brand.
But now he has ditched the sweet treats, and allows himself only one cheat meal a week.
Ruiz revealed: “No Snickers, no sweets, no cakes even though I love them so much.
“On the weekend, I have a cheat meal. I used to have a cheat day. So the whole day I would be eating and eating.
“Say I want to order some pizza, they’re like ‘No, you have to stay good. Remember the journey’.
FUTURE FIGHTS
Ruiz makes his long anticipated return on May 1, against Chris Arreola, 40, who was beaten by Deontay Wilder in 2016.
Mega-fights with Wilder, 35, Dillian Whyte, 32, Tyson Fury, also 32, and Joshua, 31, have all been touted on Ruiz’s comeback trail.
He said: “I’m going to be a sober man, I’m going to be a champion inside of the ring and most importantly, a champion outside of the ring
“I just had a little taste of all that stuff and things went South.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
