Yes Ruiz is fat. We should embrace it, it's part of his brand

All its doing for him is selling himself short. I'm not saying he needs to look like a Greek god but losing 20 pounds of flab could only help, especially at the world level. He has a lot of skills but if he wants a legacy at the weightclass he needs some discipline outside of the ring as well.

 

From the man in question:
I actually weighed at 262 pounds [for the Alexander Dimitrenko fight]. My goal is to be at 245 pounds, gain more muscle, improve the speed. The last time I was at 240 was the last time I was down at the StubHub three years ago. From the layoff that I had, now that I’m signed with PBC, thanks to Al Haymon, that’s my goal, to be at 245. If I’m at 245, I don’t think there’s anybody out there that can beat me, and match that speed.

 

That literally makes no sense. Hes obese because he isn't disciplined.
And at times he has put in absolutely horrendous performances. This why I and many others have had out issues with him.

So Roy's brand was his speed?
Manny's was his ability to climb through a variety of weight classes?
And Hopkins' was his weak opposition? Not the fact that he was old as **** for the better part of his career? (and not to mention that those welterweights were HOF)

Telling an obese athlete that he is obese is not taking a cheap shot. It's stating the obvious.
But yea, credit to him: he doesn't seem to let it bother him in a bad way.

True. But we shouldn't glorify it.
We should expect the heavyweight champ to be disciplined. To be an example and a role model.

 

His body shape is 100% irrelevant, if it in no way shape or form, negatively effects his performance in the ring. He was fat, yet he was still able to out-speed, out-muscle, overpower and outlast the skinnier / more muscular Anthony Joshua. So if his fat is in no way being a detriment, then why should anybody complain about his fat or demand him to lose fat?

All this talk about 'discipline'. Yet, Ruiz is disciplined enough that his stamina allows him to last longer than his opponent. So how in the world is he not 'disciplined' enough? He doesn't need to be 'disciplined enough' to have a model physique. He only needs to be disciplined enough that his conditioning is good enough that it allows him to fight at his peak. Which it obviously does!

People demanding him to be skinnier and that somehow would make him better. Well, that's pure speculation! How do we know a skinnier Ruiz would have been able to beat Anthony Joshua, the way a fat Ruiz managed it? Chances are, a skinnier Ruiz would've lost to Joshua, just like many other skinny guys have lost to Joshua.

 

He‘s morbidly obese but as long as he can dish out bizarre beatdowns to 6‘6 250 pound bodybuilders, it‘s all good.

 

I want him to stay fat, just makes it more hilarious. Can you imagine the tabloid pictures, of Ruiz belly hanging over the statue of a demolished greek-demigod physique like AJ's.

Man this just makes it more humiliating for AJ, because non-boxing fans will be laughing their arse off out of ignorance.

 

It would be a mistake to change a winning formula.... stay fat, stay champ....

 

If Ruiz is fat, but the fat has worked in his favor and has never been a detriment to his performance, as we have found out after his win against Joshua, then there's literally no reason / evidence for him to lose his fat. Complain when his fat actually does have a negative effect on his performance.

Yet, how about the skinnier guys that have lost to Anthony Joshua. If being skinny was so beneficial, why couldn't they do what a fat Ruiz managed to do to Joshua? Was anybody complaining that Parker and Povetkin should've been fatter, after they lost to Joshua. Since being skinny obviously didn't help them. So what evidence do we have that Ruiz being skinny would help him in future big fights against the likes of Joshua, if it didn't help the likes of Povetkin or Parker?

Truth is, a fatter Ruiz is more dangerous than a lighter Ruiz, provided his stamina is on point. And no, being fat =/= having bad stamina. There are skinny guys (like David Haye) with atrocious stamina and work-rate. And there are fat guys with incredible stamina like Adam Kownacki and Andy Ruiz Jr.

You can have a fat guy with good stamina and bad stamina. Likewise, you can also have a skinny guy with good stamina and bad stamina. However, for a short heavyweight like Ruiz, it is preferable he comes in heavier than lighter, since that added weight clearly adds to his durability.

 

I, personally, find all the memes on Facebook hilarious.

Ruiz - champion of all dadbuds.

HW title fight? Sure, hold my beer. And burrito.

 

Weight loss can positively impact performance because it directly affects [url]energy[/url] expenditure. A person with a heavier body weight has a higher energy demand for activities than a person with a lighter body weight. This means that the heavier person will need to do a greater amount of work to achieve the same goal.

Less weight is particularly beneficial in sports such as endurance running, because the chances of running out of energy are less likely for a lighter person. Those athletes who maintain a healthy body weight along with a proper diet may have a performance advantage because of the lower energy cost during activity. Not only do lower energy costs translate to improved endurance; they also increase speed and agility.

Decreased body fat is beneficial in certain sports such as gymnastics, wrestling, boxing, swimming, dance, [url]weight lifting[/url] and ice skating. Athletes involved in these sports can be judged on appearance as well as performance.

 

Yup. Heavyweight boxing has nothing to do with appearance or looks, but exclusively to do with performance in the ring. Boxers should ONLY be judged by their performance in the ring, and NEVER by how they look.

I believe a fat heavyweight who has good stamina, is more dangerous than a skinny heavyweight with good or bad stamina. And if a fat heavyweight can combine speed, power, combination punching, accuracy, timing and stamina, all into one, then they will be the toughest possible opponent for anyone to beat.

A fat heavyweight alone is dangerous. But when you have a fat heavyweight who is also extremely fast and has good stamina, then that makes him extra dangerous.

The reason why fat is an advantage, especially for the shorter heavyweights, is because it improves durability, which, along with power, is the most important attribute in heavyweight boxing. A heavyweight should never sacrifice durability or power for any other attribute like speed for example.

Added weight clearly helps with durability. And it doesn't even matter if that weight comes in the form of fat, or bone density or muscles. Andy Ruiz Jr is a testament to this fact!

 

Just for the record, decreased body fat may be beneficial for certain sports, but it certainly isn't for EVERY sport. Sumo wrestlers are encouraged to be fat. So are shot-putters. So are power lifters. So are strongman athletes. So are rugby players. Each sport is different and in heavyweight boxing, fat helps as well too.