Is he another Buster Douglas or is he trying to get quick knockout in early rounds? He was 268 lbs last time and now 282 lbs.
No, he wants it badly. Buster had a history of being disinterested in boxing and only did it to please his father. His mother passing away gave him that extra motivation. Ruiz wants more money for his family.
Around a Stone increase in body weight. I've been on the other side of this, I lost around 12lb when I had a manhood reduction in 2016. It can throw your balance off either way, also I hope they have reinforced the ring, this is also a new stadium and I hope they have tested it all properly. I think Ruiz feels comfortable, go and watch his public workout, he looks very good. Ruiz didn't look slow, didn't look immobile, he looked just as quick and sharp. The weight would have been spoken about, it would have been a calculation, they obviously believe a heavier Ruiz will do even better against a lighter AJ. Ruiz was in there the first time. He obviously felt or feels something that has convinced him that weight isn't an issue.
Yes, I think he has been training hard with weights. I'm positive that extra weight isn't fat by looking at him. This is all pointing towards a Ruiz victory via KO.
I think he does want it badly. The question is, is he disciplined enough to do it? I do think he fights well obviously without being lean but...there are surely limits.
Ok we will see at fight night. But if he can't blast out AJ early he will be very tired in the late rounds.
If he hits AJ's body early and up close if they clinch and hits AJ in general then how much will it take out of AJ? Ruiz may well be blowing out his backside late, but what state will AJ be in? Watch round 6 of the first fight, those body shots in round 6 basically ended the fight, the knokcdowns in round 7 were not flush clean hard punches. AJ had the fight beaten out of him and the tank emptied by those body shots.
I know what happened. He thought he had a good camp, arrived in Saudi Arabia, and put on 10-15 pounds overnight.
What's interesting about the leadup to this fight is how the initial narrative focused on how much lighter Ruiz appeared to be and there was genuine concern about him possibly losing too much weight for the rematch. Misleading the public on social media is far easier than one realizes. I believe Ruiz is now the second heaviest champion, behind only 7 footer Valuev to wear the belt. His weight gain is an indication that his time at the top is being measured in hours. The glob goes down hard because of his self-inflicted handicap.
Maybe his plan is to lean on the now lighter AJ a lot? Tire out AJ by leaning on him. If AJ does the old jab and grab make AJ support Ruiz's weight??? You could call it a " grope a dope " strategy. Maybe Ruiz is a genius. We shall see soon. It should be a highly entertaining fight.
