Andy Ruiz Jr has been warned he is making a mistake by cutting weight ahead of his rematch with Anthony Joshua by heavyweight legend Mike Tyson.
Both fighters are set to enter the ring in Saudi Arabia on December 7 significantly lighter than when Ruiz stunned the Brit at Madison Square Garden on June 1.
Joshua has looked visibly leaner in recent weeks having made an effort to cut down his muscle mass to be faster and more mobile in the rematch.
But Ruiz Jr, often mocked for his unathletic physique, has also declared he plans to come in trimmed-down when they meet again.
And former king Tyson believes he is making an error by changing a winning formula as he aims to repeat his unlikely upset.
“There have been rumours he has lost weight," Tyson said.
“I don’t like that.
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
“He did well at that weight, so he should stay at that weight.
“In the first fight, Ruiz put the pressure on him so fast that he didn’t know what to anticipate.
“And there were some hard punches.”
Ruiz Jr this week predicted what he will get from a slimmed-down Joshua, insisting his new gameplan will not cause a different outcome.
Ruiz Jr said: "He looks a little slimmer, but I don’t think that’s going to do any different.
"You can do whatever you want outside of the ring, but inside of the ring when it’s fight time, like Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone has a plan until you get hit.’
"He’s going to try and win by points; especially since he’s going to be running around.
"My job is to cut the ring, and that's exactly what we’ve been training for.
"I don't really worry about what he's doing, you know. We have to worry about what we're doing. He has to train hard.
"I feel that he has more pressure than I do. I just have to do what I have to do, and just let my hands go and focus."
