Former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz, who fans label as a one-hit wonder, is pleased to have been selected by His Excellency for the Riyadh Season event on August 3rd, fighting Jarrell Miller at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
The One-Hit Wonder Returns
If not for Turki Alalshikh, the 34-year-old Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) would still be collecting dust on the sidelines with his two-year layoff, his second in the last five years. Ruiz has the improbable hopes of becoming a two-time heavyweight world champion, but it doesn’t look promising.
Ruiz has dropped from the top 15 rankings by all four sanctioning bodies thanks to another long layoff. He won’t get a chance to fight for a world title if he continues to disappear for extended breaks each time he fights.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is predicting a victory for the 36-year-old Jarrell Miller (26-1-1, 22 KOs) on August 3rd, as he looked good in a losing effort against Daniel Dubois on December 23rd last year in Riyadh.
Even that out-of-shape 333-lb Miller would be a massive problem for Ruiz, who struggled in his last fight two years ago against 43-year-old Luis Ortiz. Although Ruiz got the win, but only because of the three knockdowns he scored.
In the rounds that Ruiz didn’t score knockdowns, Ortiz outboxed him. The scores were 114–111, 114–111 and 113–112. The only other fight that Ruiz has had in the last five years was against 40-year-old Chris Arreola, who dropped him in the contest but gassed out and lost a twelve-round unanimous decision on May 1st, 2021.
“I’m really happy to be in action on August 3rd. I know it’s been a long minute, but things happen for a reason, and we’re back here now,” said Andy Ruiz Jr. to the media, talking about him coming off a two-year layoff to fight Jarrell Miller on August 3rd on ESPN+ PPV.
If Ruiz is ring-rusty from inactivity, Miller could beat him and finish thie job that Anthony Joshua started in their rematch in December 2019. Ruiz should win, given his pedigree, but the time out of the ring and the lack of ambition are worrisome. He’s just not hungry anymore. He must be getting paid well by His Excellency to get off the couch to take the fight with Miller.
“We’re just here to make more history,” said Ruiz. “I’m super excited to continue my mission and my path. All the guys are all main event actions. So, I’m really blessed to be part of the event,” said Ruiz about the fighters on the undercard of the August 3rd event.
Ruiz doesn’t sound like he fully grasps how badly his career is going because he won’t get another chance to fight for a world title unless he gets busy fighting three to four times per year.
Even then. Ruiz would need to beat some solid contenders to get ranked high enough to fight for a title, and his last three performances suggest that he doesn’t possess the ability.
“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to fight Anthony Joshua and become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world,” said Ruiz about Jarrell Miller being pulled from his June 1st, 2019 fight against Anthony Joshua after testing positive. Ruiz then came in as the replacement opponent and knocked out IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight champion Joshua in the seventh round to briefly become the unified champ.
Miller testing positive for PEDs five years ago changed Ruiz’s life, turning him into a millionaire by allowing him to step in and get the gig against Joshua. if not for that, Ruiz would be one of the many contenders in the division, trying to make ends meet.
“I always salute him [Miller]. We’re good friends outside of the ring, but inside the ring, it’s a whole different thing. We’re both fighting for the same thing. We both want to become champions, and we both want to win,” said Ruiz.
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