- ANDY RUIZ JR. (33-2, 22 KOs)
It would be easy to write Ruiz off after what we saw on Saturday, a bloated heavyweight (283.7 pounds) who didn’t take training seriously for the first defense of his titles and paid a big price. He should be embarrassed by his lack of preparation and performance. Who knows? He might be his generation’s Buster Douglas, who put everything together for one great victory – a knockout of Mike Tyson – and then, more or less, became the answer to a trivia question. Here’s the thing, though: I believe Ruiz, only 30, has control over his own future. Perhaps he learned a lesson. Perhaps he’ll get back to work, shed about 50 pounds and stay focused on the sport that has given him so much. He’s a good fighter. We saw what we saw in the first fight with Joshua, four knockdowns and a seventh-round knockout. That’s what Ruiz is capable of. Now he just has to decide whether he wants to be that fighter again.