Boxing
ANDY RUIZ OPENS UP ON HIS HIDDEN BOXING CAREER
RIYADH: Andy Ruiz has spent his entire life in boxing as an outsider. “Six years old,” the Mexican-American fighter replied when asked about his first time stepping into the ring.
“My first amateur fight I was 7 years old. That was in San Diego, California. And I lost, too. I was 7 years old weighing more than all the other 7-year-olds, so my dad had brought this other guy who was 12 years old because he was bigger. It was a hell of a fight, and I actually still have that videotape,” said Ruiz, now 30.
“My whole life I’ve been fighting big guys. I feel that’s where I got the experience, and I just thank my dad for always pushing me,” he said.
“Even when I didn’t want to box anymore, he’d drag me out of my room to train, saying, ‘you’re going to do something.’ That’s exactly what has happened,” he said.
“My dad had confidence in me since I was a little kid. He’d always tell me, ‘You know what? You’re going to beat him’,” Ruiz added.
“The main thing he’d tell me was not to be scared … because we’re all the same, all flesh and blood. Just go in there fearless, do what I do best, and let my hands go.”
To say Ruiz was considered the underdog going into June’s heavyweight world title fight against the poster-boy of modern boxing, Anthony Joshua, would be a fair assessment.
Ruiz had had a month’s notice, had fought less than a month and a half earlier, and was viewed by many as unfit and out of shape.
As the world would later find out, such narrow-eyed judgment of his shape and build was flawed.
While the great and good of the boxing world questioned what errors had led to the ripped, 1.98-meter-tall Joshua being beaten in the seventh round by a “tubby” fighter almost 20 cm shorter, Ruiz was celebrating a job incredibly well done.
“I think those were the doubters wondering, ‘what has happened to Anthony Joshua? There’s something wrong with him’,” said Ruiz.
“But truly I think it was my style, the way I handled him, and that I took his punches. He gave me the hardest punches he has and I ate them,” he added.
“We watched it a lot (since) to correct the mistakes I did and see the things I needed to do more,” Ruiz said.
“I think I lacked the pressure. The fight could’ve been over sooner, but I think I let it slide a little bit,” he added.
“They (people) look at me now and are like, ‘man, if Andy Ruiz did it, I could do it.’ I’ve got to motivate people and let them know that everything is possible, but you’ve got to train hard, you’ve got to work hard.”
This weekend, the two men go toe-to-toe again in the eagerly awaited “Clash On The Dunes,” presented by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and taking place in Diriyah near Riyadh.
Fan demand is huge, forcing fight organizers to release this week another phase of tickets, starting at SR999 ($266).
Fight week usually pops and crackles with insults traded and rising tensions between the fighters.
But the buildup to the jewel in the crown of the first-ever Diriyah Season festival has again proven how this boxing maverick moves differently than many of the biggest names in the sport, past and present.
“I don’t think there’s a reason to be trash-talking each other. I know that’s what the fans and everybody else want to see, but that’s not how my mum raised me,” said Ruiz.
“I think I’m a different fighter from everybody else. I have respect for all the fighters. If I saw AJ (Joshua) right now I’d shake his hand and tell him, ‘How you doing? Good luck for Dec. 7 — best man wins’.”
Many hearing Ruiz say that might wonder how a boxer preparing to, in his own words, “go to war” with his opponent in only a few days’ time can be so jovial and warm toward his rival ahead of the biggest fight of his career. It is certainly a unique stance, but so is Ruiz.
June’s fight earned him a rumored $7 million. For Saturday’s rematch he will earn a lot more. Do the niceties toward Joshua derive from the fact that the big-reaching Brit changed Ruiz’s life, making him an overnight multimillionaire when they first met?
“Exactly,” was Ruiz’s quick response. “I respect the guy. I respect any fighter who jumps in the ring because we all risk our lives to feed our families. This is our job. Of course I respect the man.”
Since that night in New York’s Madison Square Garden, everything has changed for Ruiz. He has vast wealth, and is having to adapt to his newfound global celebrity.
Asked how life has been treating him since then, he said: “Really well, a bit overwhelming at times but this is what I dreamed for, this is what I’ve been working hard for, this is what I’ve been training for since I was 6 years old.”
He added: “It’s not just great for me but it’s great for my family, my kids. Our whole lives have changed after June 1.”
His craziest big-money buys since then? “Probably all the cars I’ve bought. Four cars already. Two different (Mercedes) G-Wagons, the brand-new Rolls Royce, the Lamborghini truck. I bought my mum and dad a truck. Just having fun.”
Fun is fun, and even so close to such an epic boxing occasion, Ruiz manages to laugh and share a joke with those around him.
He and Joshua both arrived in Saudi Arabia last week, with the American’s 8,000-mile trip definitely the more arduous of the two.
Asked how he plans to beat Joshua for the second time in seven months, Ruiz said: “I know he’s going to try and be boxing me around. I think that’s why he lost some weight, trying to keep me out with the jab, and that’s exactly what we’ve been practicing.”
He added: “That’s how we’re planning and exactly how we’ve been training: Being small, being more slick, owning the pressure, throwing the combinations, me being first.”
Ruiz said: “I think he’s still going to be boxing around four or five rounds until I bring the pressure and start working the body.”
-ArabNews
British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua is set to make his long-awaited homecoming fight in Nigeria in early 2026, according to Nigerian promoter, Dr Ezekiel Adamu, a serial entrepreneur, investor and son of Nigerian sports administration legend, Dr Amos Adamu..
Adamu, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Balmoral Group, revealed that discussions with Joshua’s camp had been positive and that plans are underway to stage the bout at the 50,000-capacity Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Speaking to The Punch, the promoter disclosed that Joshua has always expressed his desire to fight in Nigeria before the end of his career.
“I spoke with him, I spoke with his team, and they already said to me, ‘If we had an offer from Nigeria, it’s a match made in heaven,’” Adamu said.
He added: “Joshua has always said that before he ends his career, he wants to fight in Nigeria, and we are going to make that fight happen.”
The proposed fight, expected in the first quarter of 2026, would likely feature Joshua against another African opponent. Adamu hinted at possible names, including France’s Tony Yoka, Congo’s Martin Bakole, and former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who also has Nigerian heritage.
The promoter dismissed rumours that Ghana could host Joshua’s African debut. “I heard rumours about Joshua fighting in Ghana, and I laughed it off because, for me, where is the story in there? Joshua is Nigerian. Now we have a big promotion, and Nigeria is the biggest market. It’s a no-brainer for Joshua to fight in Nigeria,” he insisted.
Joshua, born in Watford, England, spent part of his childhood in Nigeria and proudly wears a tattoo of the country’s outline on his right shoulder.
Adamu maintained that Nigeria has both the infrastructure and the market to become a hub for global boxing.
“We’ve got the population, we’ve got the infrastructure, and we’ve got the technical know-how. This is just the start. October 1 (Chaos in the Ring event in Lagos) is only a sneak peek of what we can make happen,” he told The Punch.
Joshua’s long-time promoter, Eddie Hearn, had previously suggested the possibility of staging a fight in Africa, but Adamu’s plan now appears to be the most concrete yet. If successful, the 2026 bout would mark a historic milestone for African boxing and pave the way for more high-profile contests on the continent.
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British boxing great Ricky Hatton, a former two-division world champion, has died at the age of 46, the World Boxing Association said on Sunday.
Nicknamed ‘the Hitman’, Hatton won the WBA, IBO and IBF light-welterweight titles and the WBA welterweight world championship during his 15-year professional career before retiring in 2012.
He had been due to make a comeback for an event in Dubai this year.
“A true champion, an indomitable spirit and a legend of the sport. Your legacy will live on in every fight and in the hearts of boxing fans around the world,” the WBA posted on Instagram.
Greater Manchester Police said that a body had been found on Sunday morning at an address in Hyde in the northern English city.
“The death is not being treated as suspicious,” a police spokesperson said.
Hatton had 45 wins in 48 bouts over his career but in the years after he retired he said he had tried to kill himself several times and had been open about his struggle with depression, drink and drugs.
“I was coming off the rails with my drinking and that led to drugs. It was like a runaway train,” he told BBC radio in 2016.
Hatton became an ambassador for the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably in 2023.
The crowning moment of Hatton’s career in the ring came in 2005 when he stopped Australian Kostya Tszyu in a brutal duel in Manchester to add the IBF light-welterweight title to the WBU belt he already held.
He had a perfect 43-0 record until he was floored by Floyd Mayweather Jr in Las Vegas in 2007 and was never the same again.
Hatton’s second loss came in 2009, when Manny Pacquiao knocked him out.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Ricky Hatton. He was not only a great fighter inside the ring but also a brave and kind man in life,” Pacquiao wrote on X.
“We shared unforgettable moments in boxing history and I will always honour the respect and sportsmanship he showed.”
British former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan described Hatton as “a friend, a mentor, a warrior.”
“Ricky, thank you for everything. For your fights, your moments of glory, your grit. Thank you for pushing us, showing us what’s possible … you’ll always have your place in the ring of our memories,” Khan said on X.
Hatton was a lifelong Manchester City fan and wore sky blue shorts, matching the soccer club’s colours, in most of his bouts.
The Premier League club held a thunderous minute’s appreciation ahead of their derby against Manchester United on Sunday with both sets of supporters paying their respects.
“Ricky was one of City’s most loved and revered supporters … everyone at the club would like to send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends,” City added.
-Reuters
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Boxing
Excitement As Nigeria’s Ibeabuchi, Former Mike Tyson’s Conqueror, Danny Williams Clash in Comeback Fight In Lagos
The boxing world is abuzz with anticipation as legendary heavyweight, Ike “The President” Ibeabuchi (20-0, 15 KOs) prepares to make his highly anticipated return to the squared circle against British knockout specialist Danny “The Brixton Hammer” Williams (55-33, 42 KOs).
This monumental clash, a true spectacle of power and resilience, is set to ignite Lagos, Nigeria.
This event will be live on pay-per-view streaming on www.Prizefighting.tv only on August 23, 2025, at the Teslim Balogun stadium, Surulere.
The times for the event are 1:00 PM New York, 6:00 PM London, noon Dallas, and 10:00 AM Los Angeles.
Ibeabuchi, a fighter revered for his explosive power and unblemished professional record, will step back into the ring after a lengthy hiatus, ready to remind the world of the immense talent that once captivated boxing fans globally.
His return to his ancestral homeland of Nigeria adds an even deeper layer of significance to this historic event.
Facing “The President” will be the formidable Danny Williams, a seasoned veteran known for his knockout power and the monumental upset of Mike Tyson in 2004.
“The Brixton Hammer” brings a wealth of experience and a relentless fighting spirit, promising to test Ibeabuchi’s comeback every step of the way.
This is more than just a fight; it’s a homecoming, a testament to perseverance, and a chance for ‘The President’ to once again showcase his abilities on the world stage. To do this in Lagos, in front of his people, is an incredible honour.
“Danny Williams is a tough opponent, with a very respectable career, but Ike Ibeabuchi is here to make a statement. “The Brixton Hammer’ will be sent back to England hammerless. Danny Williams will be knocked out,” Ibeabuchi has said in what is seen by many as a pre-fight hype.
Danny Williams expressed his readiness for the challenge, “Ike Ibeabuchi is a legend, and I know he’ll be coming to fight.
“But ‘The President’ will not be returning on my timeline. I will come to his hometown, drop the hammer on him and send him back into exile. That will become a fact mate,” Williams has been quoted as saying.
Promoters are anticipating a jam packed arena and a global viewership as fans eagerly await to see these two big punchers. Prizefighting.tv states “pig punchers do not lose power with age.”
With these two big punchers there is no way this fight is going the distance. This fight will end in a knockout.”
Ike Ibeabuchi is an undefeated Nigerian-American heavyweight boxer with a professional record of 20 wins and 0 losses, with 15 knockouts.
He is the biggest “what if’s” in heavyweight championship history.
Danny Williams is a British professional boxer with a record of 54 wins and 33 losses, with 43 knockouts. He is best known for his shock win over the famed Mike Tyson in a non-heavyweight title fight in 2004.
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