The Heavyweight Champion With an Imperfect Body

WSJ ^ | 2 June 2019 | Jim Chairusmi

[DUMBGRUNT]

As boxer Andy Ruiz Jr. prepared to step on the scale during the weigh-in Friday afternoon for his bout against U.K. heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, he heard a taunting chant from Joshua’s rowdy British fans: “Who are ya? You fat bastard!”

The flabby Ruiz, who is listed as 6-foot-2, smiled and flexed his biceps as he tipped the scales at 268 pounds.

Ruiz’s dream, of course, was to win the heavyweight title, which he pulled off in shocking fashion, stopping Joshua via a seventh-round technical knockout on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden that instantly stands as one of boxing’s greatest upsets ever.

Ruiz, who habitually eats a candy bar before his fights and joked that he was hopeful for a Snickers deal, was facing an opponent in Joshua, who has a chiseled physique that resembles the Incredible Hulk.

[outofsalt]

"I wrestled in school and enjoyed it."

I wrestled our state champ in my weight class in high school and he pined me in 14 seconds. It took him ten seconds to catch me!

[Bob434]

Yeah, I watched him deteriorate- it was a sad time- then the final ban from boxing- saw him in an interview years later- and dang he looked awful- skinny, voice ruined by drugs- weak looking0- then saw photo of him when he couldn’t get around anymore- lying hooked yp to machine- organs failing him- it was just shocking watching someone so strong and seemingly fit deteriorate so quickly- Watching him futility fight the boxing establishment to keep boxing- it was just a travesty all the way around-

He really was the ‘great white hope’ (unlike Jerry Cooney lol)- in boxing- He is missed-

[Bob434]

Herm ight have a coupel sons fighting- The oen I was speaking of was kenzi

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tommy+morrison%27s+son

[HotHunt]

I think wrestling is the most exhausting thing I've ever done. And I was a marathoner for 25 years. Those were easy peasy compared to wrestling.

I wrestled in both high school and college. The intense endurance workouts were brutal.

The matches in HS were 3-two minute periods. College had 3-three minute periods. I think those have change since I was in college to one-3 minute period followed by two-2 minute periods.

Doesn't sound like a long time but the energy expended in those few minutes can completely exhaust you, even if you are in great shape.

At university level we also ran 5-10 miles a day before our 2 hour mat workouts in a hot gym.

Conditioning is everything the coach used to tell us.

If you've ever wrestled a whole match, it is not hard to understand why. You could hardly move at the end of some matches, let alone look like you knew what you were doing.

[LS]

No kidding. They were right to stop that fight.

I’ve seen DemoKKKrats with more “situational awareness”.

[neverevergiveup]

Foreman learned to do that AFTER losing to Ali. Agree about Holmes.

Ali and Frazier were two heavyweights who both had incredible stamina.

[DUMBGRUNT]

I knew a Marine boxing instructor, also a competitor of some note.

Among many tricks(?), he would hold his open hands up, about shoulder with apart. the object was to touch his face with a finger.
IMPOSSIBLE! He moved faster than I could think, and he knew my motion before I was moving!

He also wrestled, we did that more than a few times.
My 15 years additional experience did not help, he broke a couple of my ribs once.

A guy has to have fun!

[Teacher317]

This guy.... 6'6", 240... 22-0 with 21 KOs... Gold medal in the Olympics...

against this guy...

6'2", 270+ lbs, gives up 8" of reach, born just barely on this side of the border

Ruiz took the fight with only 40 days to prepare for it, and he just fought in mid-April.

Everyone wanted to see Joshua v Deontay Wilder megafight (both undefeated heavyweight champions, likely to be an 8-figure HBO bout). That won't be the big fight of the decade anymore.

Excellent 5:48 video of the highlights of the 3rd and 7th rounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ4P1ySqbLg

[Teacher317]

The 30 seconds of Round 3, from 2:18 to 1:48, were just a massive turnaround. The 11-to-1 underdog is knocked down, gets up, takes 3 more hard shots... and then 5 seconds later lands what I think was the real killer blow (that weakened Joshua for the rest of the fight), and 7 seconds after that, the champion was down, for the first of 4 times.

[DUMBGRUNT]

“You could hardly move at the end of some matches”

One that stands out of all the rest, an opening two weight class above me, our guy was injured.
If it is a forfeit or pin, they get 5 points, if we lose, they are awarded 3 points.
The guy was solid muscle, but not very flexible.
He would take me down and let me up just the fun and point advantage. Like going against a machine!
I did get him in a figure-four when I had the up position, that made him mad!
End of the third, he had me in a cradle, I grabbed his balls!! the ref was watching for the pin and didn’t see it!
He jumped yelling, but he was wearing a mouth guard and no one but I understood, he was yelling “watch the crotch”!!

Made it for two points and an atta boy!
Totally spent and sore for a week.
I’ve completed a couple of marathons including one out of Leadville Co.
They took longer, but recovery was decidedly easier.

[dp0622]

What a nightmare.

I couldn’t blame boxing on this.

That’s a possible death sentence at the time for another boxer he fought.

And he knew way before he still slept with 100s of women.

The toll abuse can take on SO MANY down the road is horrific.

[Bob434]

yeah, he was really reckless with his sex life and denied he had aids- I Wonder how his wife didn’t end up with aids- Drugs was a big issue with him, and prostitutes too I guess- He lived a life of high risk for sure- but the fact he didn’t tell women was not cool- But a guy with his looks and fame no doubt meant women throwing themselves at him, and being a druggie it was likely near impossible for him to say no- He was young, had loads of money, and many women wanted him- bad combo for some people sport’s celebrities unfortunately

There have been a number or really tragic cases in boxing- Sonny Liston was one such case- Sports like boxing seem ot attract people that like to live dangerously- live on the edge- high risk thrill seekers it seems-

[dp0622]

What’s the story behind Sonny Liston.

I saw frazier, foreman and Ali on a talk show in ‘89.

Ali was on the way out, speech-wise. It was sad.

Still witty, just couldn’t get many words out

[Redwood71]

Like I said, I got about a quarter of it down and I was a big eater at that time. I ate it by taking the thing apart and used the bread as something to help load my mouth after I cut it. And it took a while to do that.

He’s huge, and he was famous for eating tremendous amounts of food.

rwood

[octex]

Speaking of having heart...

I remember the photos in magazines of Marciano’s bloodied face after he won a major fight. The guy was awesome. That was probably early ‘50s.

[Bob434]

Yeahy i saw that itnerview too- good stuff-

Liston grew up in extreme poverty- rough childhood- was tied in with hte mob and became an enforcer- - did some prison time- but his career went into the dump wen he got involved in crime. He wasn;t given the recognition as a fighter that he deserved- and wasn’;t viewed very kindly by the public- He was mistreated badly by his handlers- and they bilked him of his earnings basically- he became poor again- and basically died in obscurity -

I think if he had been given the recognition he deserved as a fighter, and had more honest handlers- and been accepted by the public he mighta had a pretty good life andm ore successful career- but circumstances just always seemed to be against him- and his life just kinda went full circle- poverty and abuse to riches to poverty and abuse again as his handlers took advantage of him and stole his money- It was just a sad case all around- Sad to see someone work hteir way out of extreme poverty- then be taken advantage of used and destroyed really by jerks-

Here’s an article on his life-

https://punditarena.com/boxing/mmccarthy/sad-life-sonny-liston/

[SamAdams76]

Just ask Babe Ruth!

[Bob434]

Yep- heart of a warrior- one of the greatest in my book- class act too- seen some interviews with him- and he wasn’t nasty or vile- and spoke well of others- unlike mike tyson- who was never a class act- he was a vile disgusting thug in some interviews- saying vile crap to get a reaction- saying nasty stuff to women interviewers- almost pushing male interviewers to say something about the way he was talking- challenging them- He was just a thug[- - Marciano on the other hand was a class act-

I think Marciano retired undefeated if i remember right? He had a tremendous record-

[gundog]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P2j2aqdhWrE

[SirLurkedalot]

No kidding, I was shocked how quick those hands were moving.