Andy Ruiz Showing Up Overweight for Anthony Joshua Rematch Shows He Never Had a Heart of a Champion

Remember the all the gleeful snickering about Andy Ruiz Jr.'s weight and appearance ahead of his first heavyweight championship bout against Anthony Joshua in June? Well, the famously flabby "Mexican Rocky" beautifully squashed the haters by shocking the world in a massive upset victory.

Unfortunately for the Imperial, California native, that same didn't work in his favor in Saturday's mega-rematch in Saudi Arabia. Ruiz showed up sporting a weight of 283 pounds, a mark 15 ticks heavier than what he carried in the June bout, and was ultimately outclassed by Joshua to the tune of a unanimous defeat.

This is my column on @Andy_destroyer1 who embarrassed himself and gave away his titles by failing to train https://t.co/LQy0qZTJh3
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) December 8, 2019

Ruiz's refusal to stick to a diligent training routine tells us, despite how eminently lovable he was after his big summertime win, that he holds anything but the heart of a true champion. The rematch against Joshua could have (and probably would have) been an entirely different story had he showed up 268 pounds again, but he simply lacked the discipline and drive to make that happen.

Thanks to Ruiz being rendered alarmingly immobile by his standards, AJ relied on his athleticism and height advantage to land countless jabs while dodging Ruiz's power strikes. The now-former champ even acknowledged that a poor worth ethic and desire to live large and party proved to be his downfall.

"I didn’t prepare how I should have," said Ruiz after the loss, per Yahoo Sports. "I gained too much weight, but you know what? I don’t want to give no excuses. He won. He boxed me around. You better (expletive) believe I’m going to get in the (expletive) best shape of my life (for a third fight)."

Andy Ruiz blew a big opportunity in the Middle East. He said he would die in the ring to keep his belts. It didn’t take all of that, it just took the discipline and courage to push the plate back and deny himself, to put himself in the best position to win. He couldn’t do it.
— Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) December 7, 2019

We love Ruiz's passion here, but he needs to back it up with actions. He utterly failed to do so, enough evidence to suggest that a third fight between these two might be an absolute snoozer.

He took his belt for granted and rightfully suffered the consequences. He'll always have that incredible summer win in New York, but it's a shame that his whole career's determination effectively ended there.