Andy Ruiz Jr. pulled off the biggest upset of his career back in June when he beat then-undefeated Anthony Joshua to capture the heavyweight championship. And as you might expect, Ruiz has enjoyed life for the past six months.
When the two fighters showed up for Friday’s weigh-in in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Joshua had trimmed down to a lean 237 pounds. Ruiz, though, had gained significant weight since the first fight.
He officially weighed in at 283.7 pounds — gaining nearly 15 pounds in six months — and even Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, was caught off guard by Ruiz’s weight gain. When Ruiz made a joke that he just ate lunch, Hearn poked fun at the heavyweight champion.
Hearn told reporters after the weigh-in:
“I was actually expecting him to come in a little bit lighter. But Ruiz actually said to me, ‘Ah, it’s ’cause I just had lunch.’ I was like, ‘What did you eat? Your trainer?'”
Hey, Ruiz is just loving life. There’s no shame in that … well, unless he has serious hopes of winning. Buster Douglas notably gained around 15 pounds (from 231 to 246) after upsetting Mike Tyson and lost by knockout to Evander Holyfield eight months later.
According to Chris Mannix, Ruiz will be the second-heaviest defending heavyweight champion in history.
Saturday’s main event should start around 3:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
