Andy Ruiz Jr. isn’t worried about ring-rust issues going into his clash against Jarrell Miller on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. The former unified heavyweight champion Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) has been out of the ring for nearly two years since his last match against 43-year-old Luis Ortiz on September 4, 2022.
Ruiz has been plagued with inactivity since hitting it rich with his two fights against Anthony Joshua in 2019. He made a lot of money in those fights against AJ, and he’s only competed twice since, beating a pair of 40-year-olds, Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz.
Now, Ruiz is fighting another older fighter, 36-year-old Jarrell Miller, after a long gap, and he feels he won’t be affected by his time out of the ring. Maybe it won’t.
Whether Ruiz wants to admit it or not, his inactivity has become a pattern in his career over the last five years, and it’s clear that he doesn’t have the motivation or ambition to stay active. The likely only reason he’s returning now is that he’s been lured with a nice payday by His Excellency.
Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) is coming off a tenth-round knockout loss against Daniel Dubois on December 23rd, and apart from that match, he’s not faced high-caliber heavyweights during his 15-year pro career.
Ruiz says he wants to get the victory over Miller on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season card on August 3rd and then fight in December. He wants to fight a big enough name to get pushed up the rankings to fight for a world title.
Some fans believe the 34-year-old Ruiz’s goal is to get another big payday rather than win a world title, which seems unlikely given how seldom he’s fought since 2019. Ruiz has been campaigning for a trilogy match against Anthony Joshua.
If that happens, Ruiz can fatten his bank account, which is already filled with $10 million from his two clashes against AJ. How much money Ruiz has left after five years is unclear. It wouldn’t be surprising if he’s near-broke. Hence, his sudden burst of energy to return to the ring after another long layoff.
“That’s what I thought with [40-year-old] Chris Arreola. That’s what I thought with [43-year-old] Luis Ortiz, but I felt a little sharp,” said Andy Ruiz Jr. to Fight Hub TV about whether he has concerns about his inactivity in the last five years, fighting only two times since 2019.
It’s pretty obvious that Ruiz’s inactivity didn’t affect him in his last two fights against Arreola and Luis Ortiz. Those guys were in their 40s, and nowhere near the level, they were in their prime.
If Ruiz had fought a young, top-level heavyweight in his last two fights, he would have made problems. As it is, Ruiz struggled to beat Arreola and Ortiz. He was dropped by Arreola and lost almost every round against Ortiz. He only won that fight because he dropped the 43-year-old three times.
“Of course, when you’re more busy, you’re sharper, but we’ve been training a lot,” sid Ruiz. “We’ve been doing a lot of mitts. We’ve been sparring a lot. I feel my quickness and combinations is going to be there [for the Jarrell Miller fight on August 3rd].”
Ruiz sounds deluded. You don’t stay sharp hitting the mitts when you’ve been out of the ring for two years. That will not keep any fighter at the top of their game after 23 months of inactivity.
Ruiz might get away with being inactive for this fight because he’s facing Jarrell Miller, who is nowhere near the top-tier level. Against a good heavyweight, Ruiz’s years of inactivity would hurt him.
“We’re going to get this victory. I’m not too scared of the inactivity [two-year layoff since last fight in 2022]. I’m just happy I’m back in action. This is just the beginning. This is my prime,” said Ruiz.
If Turki Alalshikh didn’t lure back Ruiz with a nice payday, he’d likely still be sitting inactive because he won’t fight for chicken feed.
“He opens up a lot. I’m a really good counter-puncher. He comes in forward,” said Ruiz about Jarrell Miller being vulnerable on defense. “But that’s the plan to get him out of there and move on to the next. I want to win and hopefully fight in December.
Ruiz only fights in spurts, and Miller could beat him on activity in this fight if he doesn’t get dropped repeatedly or knockout. The gas tank isn’t there for Ruiz to handle the superior cardio of an in-shape Jarrell Miller.
“He’s a big guy, he throws a lot of bombs, and he brings his wait in,” Ruiz said about Miller. “I see a lot of flaws in him. He opens up a lot. I feel my combinations, the speed, timing, the counter-punching that I do, I feel that’s going to play a part in this fight,” said Ruiz.
Miller looked dangerous in the first six rounds against Dubois and would have beaten him if he hadn’t faded in the second half of the contest. He fought well, given that he came into the match weighing 333 lbs and looking morbidly obese. Ruiz will have massive problems with Miller if he’s in better condition for the night on August 3rd, and it won’t be a shock if he loses.
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