Andy Ruiz Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andy Ruiz Jr.
Ruiz Jr. in 2019
Statistics
Real name	Andrés Ponce Ruiz Jr.
Nickname(s)	Destroyer
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Reach	74 in (188 cm)
Born	(1989-09-11) September 11, 1989 (age 35) Imperial, California, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	38
Wins	35
Wins by KO	22
Losses	2
Draws	1

Andrés Ponce Ruiz Jr. (born September 11, 1989) is a professional boxer from Mexico and the United States. He is famous for being a former world champion in the heavyweight boxing division. In 2019, he held major titles from organizations like the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF), and World Boxing Organization (WBO). He also held the International Boxing Organization (IBO) title at that time.

Andy Ruiz Jr.'s Early Life

Andy Ruiz Jr. was born in Imperial, California. His parents moved to the U.S. from Mexico. His father used to work in construction and later started a business buying and selling houses. Andy loved baseball when he was young, but his father encouraged him to try boxing. He had his first boxing match at age seven in San Diego.

Later, Andy worked with his father in construction for a while. But he decided to become a full-time boxer and began his amateur career in Mexico. His grandfather owned a boxing gym in Mexicali, Mexico. Famous boxer Jorge Páez used to train there. Andy's nickname, 'Destroyer', came from before he even started boxing. He said that as a child, he was "always destroying stuff."

Amateur Boxing Career

During his time as an amateur boxer, Andy Ruiz Jr. had a great record of 105 wins and only 5 losses. He trained with Fernando Ferrer. His wins included two gold medals at the Mexican National Junior Olympics. He also won a title at the Ringside World Championships. Andy represented Mexico in two tournaments to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He was eligible to represent Mexico because his parents were born there.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

Andy Ruiz Jr. started his professional boxing career on March 28, 2009. He was 19 years old. His first fight was in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and he won by knockout (KO) in the first round. He continued to win many of his early fights, often by knockout or technical knockout (TKO).

In February 2010, Andy had his first fight in the United States. He knocked out Luke Vaughn in the first round in Texas. He kept winning, showing off his fast hand speed. In December 2011, he defeated Elijah McCall, whose father was a former world champion. The referee stopped the fight in the third round because McCall could no longer defend himself.

In March 2012, Andy fought his first eight-round match and won by unanimous decision. In July, he fought Jonte Willis and won in the eighth round after a series of punches.

Rising Through the Ranks

On July 27, 2013, Andy traveled to Macau to fight Joe Hanks. He knocked Hanks down twice in the fourth round, winning the fight and claiming the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title. In November 2013, he defended his WBO title and won the vacant WBC-NABF heavyweight title by defeating Tor Hamer. Hamer stopped fighting after the third round.

In December 2014, Andy fought former WBO heavyweight champion Siarhei Liakhovich. Andy won by unanimous decision after ten rounds, even though he fractured his right hand during the fight. After this, in June 2015, Andy started training with famous coach Abel Sanchez.

Andy continued his winning streak, defending his WBC-NABF heavyweight title multiple times. In May 2016, he defeated Ray Austin, increasing his record to 27 wins without any losses. He also defeated Josh Gormley and Franklin Lawrence in 2016, continuing to defend his WBC-NABF title.

Challenging for the WBO Heavyweight Title

In December 2016, Andy Ruiz Jr. got the chance to fight Joseph Parker in New Zealand for the vacant WBO heavyweight title. The title became available after Tyson Fury gave it up.

Andy tried to become the first heavyweight champion of Mexican heritage, but he lost to Joseph Parker by a majority decision. The judges scored the fight very closely. After the fight, Andy believed he had won or at least earned a draw and wanted a rematch.

Winning Streak in 2018–2019

After his loss, Andy took a break from boxing. He returned to the ring on March 10, 2018, and knocked out Devin Vargas in the first round. He showed great power and speed in this short fight.

His next fight was in July 2018 against Kevin Johnson. Andy won by unanimous decision after ten rounds. This fight helped him get more rounds in the ring.

In January 2019, Andy signed a deal with advisor Al Haymon. His first fight under this new deal was on April 20, 2019, against Alexander Dimitrenko. Andy won by TKO in the fifth round, using his quick hands and combinations.

Becoming Unified Heavyweight Champion

Ruiz vs. Joshua I

Before his fight with Dimitrenko, Andy Ruiz Jr. offered to step in and fight Anthony Joshua for the unified heavyweight titles. This opportunity came up because Joshua's original opponent, Jarrell Miller, was not allowed to fight. On June 1, 2019, the fight between Joshua and Ruiz was confirmed to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In a huge upset, Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated Anthony Joshua by technical knockout in the seventh round. This made him the unified WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion. It was the first time Andy had been knocked down in his career, but he got back up and fought even harder. He knocked Joshua down four times in total before the referee stopped the fight. This victory made Andy the first Mexican-American heavyweight champion in boxing history. Many people consider this one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

Ruiz vs. Joshua II

In September 2019, it was announced that Andy would defend his titles against Anthony Joshua in a rematch. The fight took place on December 7, 2019, in Saudi Arabia. Joshua boxed a very disciplined fight, keeping Andy at a distance with his jab and moving around to avoid close-up punches.

Andy lost the fight by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout clearly in Joshua's favor. After the fight, Andy admitted that he had not trained as hard as he should have, saying that "Three months of partying and celebrating affected me." He also showed respect to Joshua for his performance.

Post-Title Career

After losing his titles, Andy Ruiz Jr. changed trainers. He started working with Eddy Reynoso in May 2020.

Ruiz vs. Arreola

On May 1, 2021, Andy had his first fight since losing his world titles. He faced former WBC title challenger Chris Arreola. Andy was knocked down in the second round but recovered to win by unanimous decision. This was his first fight with his new trainer, Eddy Reynoso.

Ruiz vs. Ortiz

Andy later left Eddy Reynoso and began training with Alfredo Osuna. Sixteen months after his fight with Arreola, Andy returned to the ring on September 4, 2022. He faced Luis Ortiz in Los Angeles. This was an important fight to become a top contender for the WBC title.

Even though Ortiz outboxed him at times, Andy knocked Ortiz down three times during the fight. These knockdowns were key to Andy winning the fight by a close decision. Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder was watching the fight, and both Andy and Wilder said they would be interested in fighting each other.

Ruiz vs. Miller

Andy Ruiz Jr. had surgery on his right shoulder and was out of the ring for 23 months. On August 3, 2024, he returned to fight Jarrell Miller in Los Angeles. Miller weighed much more than Andy for the fight.

The fight ended in a majority draw, meaning one judge scored it for Miller, but the other two judges scored it a tie. Miller was more aggressive and kept the pressure on Andy. Andy's right hand appeared to be injured during the fight, which he later confirmed on social media. Miller believed he had won the fight, saying he threw more punches and was more effective.

Andy Ruiz Jr.'s Personal Life

Andy Ruiz Jr. lives in his hometown of Imperial, California, where he graduated from high school in 2007. He feels connected to both American and Mexican cultures. He has said, "America's one of the greatest countries in the world. For me, I'm an American and I'm a Mexican. I live here. And it hurts me the way a lot of people talk about Mexicans when I know we're all about hard work and dedication." He can speak both English and Spanish fluently.

Professional Boxing Record Summary

Images for kids

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  Andy Ruiz Jr. speaks at a press conference for his rematch with Anthony Joshua.

See also

In Spanish: Andy Ruiz Jr. para niños

• List of world heavyweight boxing champions
• List of Mexican boxing world champions