Tag: Manny Robles

Abel Sanchez: Andy Ruiz Jr. poses challenge for Eddy Reynoso

Abel Sanchez, Andy Ruiz Jr.’s former trainer, said Eddy Reynoso could have his hands full with a fighter who resists hard work.

Abel Sanchez, Andy Ruiz Jr.’s former trainer, painted a clear portrait of the challenge Eddy Reynoso faces.

Reynoso, the longtime mentor of Canelo Alvarez, has agreed to work with the former heavyweight titleholder.

Ruiz stunned the boxing world by stopping Anthony Joshua to win three belts last June but, ill-prepared for the rematch six months later, he lost a wide decision. The latter fight raised questions about Ruiz’s dedication to the sport.

Sanchez was in Ruiz’s corner when the Mexican-American lost a close decision to Joseph Parker. Manny Robles worked with him for the Joshua fights.

“Eddy Reynoso must keep him in the gym, make him work and get rid of the baggage (read: enablers) around him,” Sanchez told Sky Sports. “Andy must listen. Eddy is a heck of a coach, one of the best in boxing right now.”

He went on: “”I’m not there to baby sit, I am there to coach and develop you if you are willing to listen. You can’t develop someone who doesn’t want to try anything. It was difficult for me because I don’t like laziness. We work too hard. I have too many people here working their butts off. To have one person get away with things that nobody else can? That’s not proper.

“He doesn’t look like a prototypical heavyweight but he has a lot of ability, unbelievable ability. He lacks in desire. He doesn’t want to do things. He finds an excuse not to do something. That’s a shame because he could do great things.”

Sanchez’s comments were similar to those Robles made to Sky Sports earlier.

“My job is not to call him every day,” Robles said. “He’s a man, not a kid, and must be treated as such. You can’t convince someone to want something. The fame and money has been overwhelming for Andy.

“He’s got to know how to handle it. Maybe after this defeat, the game has humbled him.”

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Andy Ruiz’s father says son is set to work with Eddy Reynoso

Video: Mannix, Mora: Would Andy Ruiz Jr., Eddy Reynoso make good team?

Andy Ruiz Jr. had a crazy 2019. In June, he stunned the world by stopping Anthony Joshua to win multiple heavyweight championship belts. In the December rematch, having not trained properly, he lost a wide decision and his titles. After the …

Andy Ruiz Jr. had a crazy 2019.

In June, he stunned the world by stopping Anthony Joshua to win multiple heavyweight championship belts. In the December rematch, having not trained properly, he lost a wide decision and his titles.

After the disappointment, Ruiz parted ways with mentor Manny Robles and began to search for the man who could help him right his ship.

Is Eddy Reynoso, the trainer of Canelo Alvarez, that man? Ruiz has expressed interest in working Reynoso and the trainer says he likes the idea of partnering with the former heavyweight titleholder.

In this episode of Jabs with Mannix and Mora, DAZN commentators Chris Mannix and Sergio Mora discuss whether Ruiz and Reynoso would make a good team.

Here’s what they had to say.

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Abner Mares proud to have become American citizen

Abner Mares said he’s happy to have become an American citizen given how much his adopted country has given him.

Abner Mares has had an eventful past year or so.

The former three-division titleholder, now 34, has recovered from a detached retina that cost him a fight with Gervonta Davis in February of last year. He has a new trainer, Manny Robles. And, oh yeah, he’s an American now.

Mares, who was born in Mexico but has lived in the U.S. for many years, recently received his U.S. citizenship.

“It means a lot,” he said on The PBC Podcast. “I take a lot of pride becoming a United States citizen because this country has given me everything, everything, despite me being born in Mexico.

“And, yes, I’m 100 percent Mexicano, Raza (race) and, you know, I am. But you gotta give respect where respect is due. Now my country, the United States, has given me everything. My kids were born here, it gave me a better life for my wife and I.

“So I take pride in that. I want to say I’m proud to be an American citizen now. I want to say it because there are a lot of people out there [saying] I’m still raza. That never changes. You gotta be thankful for a country that has given you a lot. I’m that. I’m thankful for this country,  I’m blessed.

“I just became a United States citizen not too long ago and I’m really happy for that.”

Abner Mares said he plans to fight once or twice more and then call it a career. David Becker / Getty Images

The newly minted American will be working with Robles for his next fight, whenever the coronavirus pandemic allows it to happen.

Mares (31-3-1, 15 KOs) was asked on the podcast why he made the move from Robert Garcia to Robles and he said it had nothing to do with the job Garcia was doing. It was primarily about geography.

“It’s really simple, it’s nothing personal, nothing that had to do with me needing an adjustment in my craft. It was more, basically, a comfort move,” he said. “I was making a drive of about an hour, hour and a half, two hours from where I live [to Garcia’s training compound].

“I keep telling people that I’m on my last one or two fights. I want to make as much use of my time as I can. You know, I would train at noon with Robert … and come back at 2, 3 in the afternoon. A whole day would go by. I feel like I could’ve used that time to be with my kids, do something else.

“… I’m not saying that Robles isn’t a good coach to consider him for training and to learn. It’s a combination of both. I think Manny Robles is a great coach. And I’m happy to be working with Manny Robles.”

The question is: Working toward what?

Mares would still like to fight Davis, although he’s no longer first in line. And he mentioned Gary Russell Jr. and Oscar Valdez as possible opponents.

He didn’t mention a tune-up fight even though it will be two years in June since he last fought. As he said, he plans to fight only once to twice more and he wants to make the most of those opportunities.

“Honestly, accomplishments are not what I’m looking for,” he said. “… I’m not worried about titles, like becoming a four-time, five-time, six-time [titleholder]. Honestly, it’s on the personal side, being able to come back, being able to say I did it. I beat adversity, I beat doubters.

“You know, I came back and I fought and I won and that’s it. Even if I do one last fight. I’ll be comfortable with that.”

Abner Mares will work with Manny Robles for his comeback

Abner Mares has parted ways with Robert Garcia and will be trained by Manny Robles when he makes his comeback.

Abner Mares’ comeback has been delayed by injury and now a pandemic, but he’s still hoping and planning for the day when he can resume his career.

He’ll start over with a new trainer.

Mares’ comeback will begin with Manny Robles in his corner instead of Robert Garcia.

“I told Robert that I was not going to continue training with him,’’ Mares told ESPN Deportes. “We were on good terms. My new coach will be Manny Robles, who is a great coach, has a good style and has worked with great fighters, world champions, such as Andy Ruiz, Oscar Valdez.”

Mares (31-3-1, 15 KOs), a former three-division champion, hasn’t fought since losing a unanimous decision to Leo Santa Cruz in a featherweight rematch on June 9, 2018 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.’’

Mares, 34, was forced to withdraw from a fight with Gervonta Davis, scheduled for Jan. 30, 2019, because of an eye injury. He was cleared a few months later. He had hoped to make a comeback this May. But that was shelved by the coronavirus outbreak.

“We had planned to return in 2020, we had more or less the agenda planned to return in May, two fights in the year,’’ he said.  “But now I think I will only fight once. We will see when.

“It’s a bit awkward, but at the same time, I start thinking about what everyone is going through, fighters who had dates and then they were canceled, David Benavidez being one of them. Many fighters have been affected, and I am more sorry for the fighters, because it is a very difficult time.’’

Manny Robles on Andy Ruiz fallout: ‘Money changes some people’

Manny Robles believes he did the best he could to get Andy Ruiz prepared for the rematch against Anthony Joshua…

Manny Robles is still smarting over his split from ex-heavyweight titlist Andy Ruiz.

The veteran trainer was in Ruiz’s corner the night he notched an historic upset over Anthony Joshua last June to pick up three heavyweight belts. He was also there in Saudi Arabia six months later in the rematch to witness Ruiz, sluggish and out of shape, hand back the titles to Joshua in a disappointing points loss.

Soon thereafter, Ruiz cut ties with Robles. According to Robles, he never had another chance to chat with Ruiz after that weekend.

That left an acid taste in Robles’ mouth. In a recent interview with IFL TV, Robles elaborated on aspects of the fallout as well as Ruiz’s lack of preparation for the rematch. Ruiz weighed in at 283.5 pounds, nearly 15 more than his weight for the first bout.

“Obviously, [I was] very disappointed,” Robles said. “I tried to hang in there as much as I could and not lose faith in my fighter and hoping that he would wake up one day and realize the importance and responsibility that he had for himself and his family.”

But with instant fame came heavyweight riches.

“You gotta understand: He’s a ghetto boy,” Robles said. “He’s a kid who never had anything in life and all of a sudden you wake up and you have millions of dollars in the bank and [are] ready to make more money, more millions at that. It’s just overwhelming.”

And with riches came the usual sycophants.

“He made a lot of new friends that weren’t around when he had nothing,” Robles said. “And unfortunately people change with money, money and fame. Money changes some people. I can’t say all people.

“But it changed him. And unfortunately it changed him for the worst.”

Robles, however, understands that such an outcome is nothing new. Many heavyweight underdogs – from Buster Douglas to Oliver McCall – who reach the pinnacle of the division suddenly find themselves back to square one. The good life becomes a little too good.

“It’s hard to wake up in the morning when you have that much money in the bank,” Robles said. “I tried to convince him that you have a huge responsibility. If money is what drives you, go out there and make more. Lets go beat this guy again.

“Like I said, I did everything I could on my end but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

Asked what he thinks about a rumored fight between Ruiz and Luis Ortiz in the summer, Robles still believed in his former charge.

“Andy can win that fight, but he’s just got to be ready,” Robles said. “He’s gotta show up.” 

Andy Ruiz Jr. planning to return to the ring in August

Andy Ruiz says he plans to return to the ring in August in a tune-up bout before getting back into world title mix.

Andy Ruiz Jr. was on top of the world not long ago. Now he’s looking at a comeback attempt in late summer.

The American heavyweight said on Inside PBC Boxing that he plans to return to the ring in August. By that time, he will have been out of competition for nearly eight months. Enough time, one figures, for the sting to have subsided from his lopsided points loss to Anthony Joshua in December.

Ruiz shocked the world by stopping Joshua in their first fight, last June, but showed up pitifully out of shape for the rematch.

Now it’s be back to being serious, says Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs). His next opponent evidently hasn’t been selected but Ruiz floated a few names.

“[My handlers] mentioned [Luis] Ortiz [as possible opponents], but I think I want to have a fight before I fight Ortiz,” he said. “If not, if Tyson Fury is looking for somebody …. I just want to get a fight and then get to the big fight.”

According to The Athletic, Ruiz’s next fight will likely be against either countryman Chris Arreola (38-6-1, 33 KOs) or Adam Kownacki (20-0, 15 KOs), a popular Brooklyn-based Polish heavyweight who takes on Robert Helenius this Saturday at Barclays Center. Kownacki would pose a far greater challenge to Ruiz than Arreola, a veteran whose last bout was a wide points loss to Kownacki.

Also up in the air is who will train Ruiz. He canned Manny Robles in January. There have been rumors that Ruiz may try to work with Teddy Atlas, but nothing has been confirmed.

One thing seems certain: Ruiz will come in less than his official weight of 283½ for the rematch with Joshua. He admitted he was overweight for that fight, which hampered his ability to cut off the ring and throw combinations. He weighed 268 for the first fight.

“I think 250 would be a perfect weight for me,” he said. “I will be light, I will be fast with my hands.”

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Andy Ruiz Jr. splits with trainer Manny Robles

Andy Ruiz Jr. splits with trainer Manny Robles

Andy Ruiz Jr. will need a new trainer as he makes moves to resume his heavyweight career.

Andy Ruiz Jr. blamed himself for his poor conditioning and even poorer outing in his Dec. 7 title defense against Anthony Joshua. Turns out he reserved some blame for his trainer, too.

Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) has cut ties with trainer Manny Robles, the trainer who guided Ruiz to his historic upset over Joshua last June at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to multiple reports.

Ruiz ended up losing his belts in the rematch six months later in Saudi Arabia. Afterward, he was heavily criticized for showing up out of shape; Ruiz weighed in at 283.5 pounds, nearly 15 pounds more than his weight for the first bout. Ruiz put the blame squarely on himself, even apologizing to Robles for having not shown up to training camp on time.

Still, Robles wasn’t surprised by the news Thursday.

“I’ve seen it coming, I’ll be honest with you,” Robles told ESPN. “I’ve seen it coming during camp. I saw it coming, Andy was just doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. The dad, obviously with him being the manager, he just had no control over his son. None of us had control of him, for that matter.”

According to ESPN, Robles was informed of the news by Ruiz’s father, Andy Ruiz Sr., who said that Al Haymon, Ruiz’s influential adviser, recommended switching trainers. It’s not clear whom Ruiz will train under next.

“They apparently told them that they didn’t want the same thing to repeat itself, again,” Robles said. “It is what it is. I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not the first time it’s happened to me. I’m sure it’s not the first time it’s happened to other coaches. It happens time and time again. We always end up getting the short end of the stick. But it is what it is, you keep moving forward.

“I really believed coming into the second fight that we were going to be able to do it again. But obviously you can’t do that if the fighter isn’t there, if the fighter doesn’t want it. I did everything I could as a coach, as a teacher, as a friend, but again, as I said, if the fighter’s not there, what can I do?”

Robles maintains there are no hard feelings.

“I’ve got to tell you I’m absolutely grateful and blessed to have been able to experience everything that I was able to experience in 2019,” he said. “I mean, we made history, and I have to be thankful for that. I have to be thankful to Andy and his dad for giving me the opportunity to be part of something special, to have made history, for him to become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world.”

Ruiz reportedly has been offered a fight by promoter Eddie Hearn to face Dillian Whyte but it appears that Whyte is now expected to face Alexander Povetkin instead.

Deontay Wilder on Andy Ruiz’s mentality: ‘Opposite of what it takes to be a champion’

Deontay Wilder was no fan of the way former heavyweight titleholder Andy Ruiz comported himself during and after his loss to Anthony Joshua.

Add Deontay Wilder to the mix of observers  who were displeased by Andy Ruiz Jr.’s title-losing performance against Anthony Joshua on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua pitched a near-shutout over 12 rounds to regain the three heavyweight belts he lost to Ruiz on June 1.

In a radio interview with SiriusXM Fight Station, Wilder, who holds the fourth major title, opined on what he felt were both tactical failures and character flaws on the part of the Mexican-American. Joshua worked behind his jab and moved his feet to keep away from Ruiz’s mid-range combinations. Ruiz never quite adjusted.

“Ruiz followed him all night long,” Wilder said. “With a guy (Joshua) with such a long reach, you can’t just follow him. You know what’s going to happen, a punching bag, as they call it. Just sit there and receive punches. And he did that all night.”

Wilder also was disappointed in the fact that Ruiz allowed the money and limelight to affect him after his earth-shattering upset in June. Ruiz weighed in at 283.7 pounds for the rematch, roughly 15 pounds heavier than his weight in the first fight.

“But what really got me about Ruiz was not just what he did in the ring, but what he said, as well,” Wilder said. “Because as you know, one thing that I mentioned to Ruiz when I was doing an interview on TV is, I told him, ‘Don’t get comfortable. Congratulations, but don’t get comfortable with the lifestyle and stuff. It can grab you. But you know you’re just beginning. There can be more to this for you and your family. Don’t dwell on this.’”

Manny Robles, Ruiz’s trainer, mentioned to reporters that he wanted Ruiz to start training in July, but his charge showed up in September. During the post-fight press conference, Ruiz pleaded for a third fight with Joshua and admitted that he didn’t train hard enough, saying “I think we started too late. I didn’t want to say three months of partying affected me, but to tell you the truth, it did.”

Wilder wasn’t happy about that admission.

“‘Oh, I ate too much and I could’ve trained a little harder,’” Wilder said. “Like, what the f— are you talking about. That is exactly the opposite of what it takes to be a champion. What do you mean? You were telling the world that you weren’t letting it get to your head and how it’s such a blessing. You can’t come in and say the rematch, the third fight, I’ll promise I’ll train. Like what are you talking about!”

Wilder is scheduled to face Tyson Fury in a rematch Feb. 22 on pay-per-view.

Lennox Lewis: Anthony Joshua has ‘a heavy task ahead of him’

Lennox Lewis said Anthony Joshua can beat Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch Saturday if he’s prepared.

Anthony Joshua didn’t just lose to Andy Ruiz Jr. this past June in New York. He was beaten down, as much emotionally as physically.

That’s one reason his attempt to the turn the tables in their rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia is a significant challenge. Another is that Joshua took an immediate rematch instead of rebuilding his confidence against a lesser foe, which some believe was ill-advised.

Others have succeeded in reversing such a debacle. Joe Louis comes to mind. A young “Brown Bomber” was beaten up by veteran Max Schmeling in 1936. Two years later Louis KO’d the German inside one round.

A more modern example is Wladimir Klitschko. The giant Ukrainian suffered three deflating knockouts early in his career but bounced back to become one of the most-enduring heavyweight champions of all time.

Lennox Lewis reversed his misfortune in an immediate rematch, as Joshua is trying to do. Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in five rounds but, more focused, returned the favor in four rounds seven months later. He also avenged a knockout loss to Oliver McCall, although those fights were years apart.

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Lewis, speaking to members of the media before the Deontay Wilder-Luis Ortiz II fight on Nov. 23, wouldn’t predict how things might go for Joshua in the rematch but said their situations were entirely different.

“The way I lost was one punch,” he said. “When you lose by one punch, then you know the problem is not to get punched. For me, it was just a defensive error. It was like falling off a horse. OK, you fell off a horse. Let just get on the horse and show you I can ride the horse.

“It was a situation where, yeah, he caught me with one punch but he’s not a better fighter than me. I have more talent them him. … What I need to do is my best, don’t make a silly mistake because that’s what allowed me to lose the fight.”

In other words, Joshua knew exactly what the problem was and how to correct it. Joshua? That’s a different story.

His loss against Ruiz wasn’t the result of a single mistake or a single blow. Joshua was knocked down four times before the fight was stopped. And his body language when referee Michael Griffin waved off the fight screamed, “I’m hurt, I’m lost, I have no idea what to do.”

Some wonder whether that sense of helplessness can be damaging psychologically – and linger.

“(Joshua) can look at the tape and say, ‘When I get hurt, I need to hold him properly,’” Lewis said the week of Wilder-Ruiz. “That’s one thing I noticed. The second thing is he came back to the corner (after being hurt) and said, ‘What’s happening? What is he doing?’ I don’t know what happened but he obviously has gone back to the drawing board and looked at what he needs to do. Let’s hope he can correct it before the fight.

“… It was a bad loss,” Lewis added. “He’s got a heavy task ahead of him. He’s making the right moves. … (But) he needs to learn a lot of stuff.”

Lewis also doesn’t think an immediate rematch was a good idea – “especially how he lost” – but the site of the fight, in another foreign country, seems to bother him more.

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The former three-time heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer doesn’t begrudge promoter Eddie Hearn the money generated by staging the fight in Saudi Arabia. That’s his job, Lewis said.

At the same time, fighters’ needs aren’t always met when business comes first.

“(Joshua’s) promoter should really have brought the fight back to England, where his family is, where his crowd is, and build him back up that way,” Lewis said. “Now he’s been brought back to another foreign country where he doesn’t know anybody. …

“I don’t think an event should be made just because of the money. It should be what’s better for your fight, what’s the best place for your fighter, to guarantee the win. … Promoters try to get the most money possible but the promoter and boxer and supposed to work hand in hand.”

In the end, Lewis said, Joshua can win if he’s ready.

“If Joshua doesn’t come in mentally and physically prepared, he’ll lose the fight,” Lewis said. “… He felt he wasn’t in the best shape (in the first fight), so he’s gotten himself in great shape. That gives him confidence. He was 50 percent in the first fight and was able to hurt Ruiz but couldn’t take him out. Now he’s 100 percent. Now if he hurts the guy, he will be able to take him out.

“That’s what will be in his head, ‘I’m a better boxer than him and I’ll show him.’

”

Andy Ruiz Jr. stuns us again: Weighs 283.7 for Anthony Joshua rematch?

Andy Ruiz Jr. weighed 283.7 pounds — 15-plus more than in their first fight — for his rematch with Anthony Joshua on Saturday.

283.7 pounds?

Any Ruiz Jr., who had talked about slimming down for his rematch with Anthony Joshua on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, weighed in today at 283.7 pounds. That’s 15 more than he weighed for their first fight, in June, and the most he’s weighed for a fight since he came in at 292½ for his second pro bout.

Joshua weighed 237.8, roughly 10 pounds less than he weighed for their first fight. That’s his lightest since he weighed 236½ when he fought Denis Bakhtov in 2014, which presumably means he’ll be more nimble in the fight.

Ruiz stunned the boxing world by putting Joshua down four times and stopping him the seventh round to win three of the four major heavyweight titles at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“They made us wait until 4:30, almost 5 p.m. here,” Ruiz said. “I already had ate breakfast, lunch and dinner. I had on a sombrero and all my clothes. A lot of people are saying that I came overweight or this and that. We had to wait so long. I probably put on like 10 pounds just eating and drinking normally today.”

Ruiz insists that he didn’t let his weight get away from him.

Andy Ruiz Jr (left) weighed in 45.9 pounds more than Anthony Joshua for their rematch Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Dave Thompson / Matchroom Boxing

“We were lighter during camp,” he said, “but then I thought being the same weight or heavier would be an advantage. We did so many 12 rounds of sparring, so the conditioning is still there.”

Ruiz’s trainer, Manny Robles, had said on a conference call Thursday that his fighter would weigh around 268 again. It was clear then that Ruiz hadn’t slimmed down.

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However, the 283.7 figure was surprising.

What does it mean? Can we assume that Ruiz didn’t take his training seriously? After all, even if we believe that he put on 10 pounds eating today, he hasn’t weighed in the 270s for a fight in five years.

Or does that weight not matter as much as we presume? Ruiz has always been fat yet has had quick hands and moved well.

Of course, we’ll know a lot more when they step into the ring.

The card, in Diriyah, will be streamed live on DAZN.

 

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