Heavyweight champion of the world, Andy Ruiz Jr., greets his fans during a parade in his honor in Imperial, California on June 22, 2019. Omar Ornelas/The Desert Sun

Watch: Andy Ruiz looks unrecognizably trim ahead of Luis Ortiz fight

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated 9/4/22

Andy Ruiz is definitely no longer the same Andy Ruiz who stepped into the ring with Anthony Joshua.

The former heavyweight champ Ruiz looked nearly unrecognizable during weigh-ins ahead of his fight against Luis Ortiz on Sunday. Ruiz came in at 269 pounds but looked extremely fit and trim.

Take a look (Ruiz is on the left).

Will Andy Ruiz win in LA? #RuizOrtiz

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Here is a side-by-side comparison of what Ruiz used to look like compared to what he looks like now.

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Interestingly enough, Ruiz clocked in at 268 pounds when he upset Joshua during their heavyweight title bout in 2019 (though Ruiz was up to 284 by the time that he fought Joshua again several months later). Now Ruiz has retained most of that weight but this time with a lot more muscle.

Sunday’s bout will be a WBC semifinal eliminator and shall mark Ruiz’s first time in the ring since he defeated Chris Arreola in a comeback fight in mid-2021. While Ortiz is no slouch and has plenty of experience fighting in the heavyweight division, Ruiz clearly looks physically up to the task ahead.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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