Evander Holyfield knows a few things about bouncing back. “The Real Deal” is the only fou-time heavyweight champ, meaning he had to rebound from losing at least one title three times.
And he knows Andy Ruiz, with whom he sparred he 2011.
“He’s good, we sparred when I was 46 and he was 19 (actually 21),” Holyfield told TMZ Sports.
And, Holyfield asserts, Ruiz can be good again even after his disastrous performance against Anthony Joshua in their rematch Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia. Joshua, who won by a wide decision, regained the titles he lost to Ruiz on June 1.
Ruiz, about 15 pounds heavier in the second fight, admitted afterward that he didn’t train properly.
“Joshua became champion again, right? He made an adjustment,” Holyfield told TMZ. “People who make adjustments, their chances are still good. He made some bad choices. When you make bad choices, you gotta be accountable. If you’re accountable, you can make adjustments.”
Holyfield went on: “Go back to the work plan. Do whatcha daddy tells you to do. All these years, he’s been right. What makes you think he’s gonna be wrong?”
Ruiz stunned the boxing world when he put Joshua down four times and stopped him in seven rounds at Madison Square Garden in New York.