Boxing
Andy Ruiz Jr. he is half the man he was
Published
3 weeks agoon
Andy Ruiz Jr. he’s half the man he was – and that becomes the whole story of his heavyweight career.
The former unified top-flight champion posted a up-to-date photo of himself along with the caption: “Still working challenging and still under construction.”
Fans immediately noticed how different Ruiz was.
Some praised the apparent weight loss and encouraged the Mexican-American heavyweight to continue pushing for another comeback. Others were less convinced, pointing out that Ruiz spent years rebuilding, never fully returning to the ring.
“The clocks are ticking, champ,” one fan wrote.
This response captured the broader feelings about Ruiz better than any training photo.
Andy Ruiz Jr.
Ruiz already looked slimmer. Boxing has also heard talk of a return before.
The issue isn’t whether Ruiz can lose weight. The problem is that with the cameras gone, the rebuilding doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Since losing the heavyweight titles in a rematch with Anthony Joshua, Ruiz has fought just three times in seven years.
Victories over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz followed by a draw against Jarrell Miller mark a painfully lackluster return for the fighter who once rocked the sport at Madison Square Garden.
That’s why every update from Ruiz now comes with the same reaction: hope mixed with doubt.
Ruiz’s slimmer appearance has also sparked up-to-date speculation about Ozempic online, although the former heavyweight champion has not confirmed anything.
Whatever the explanation, the bigger problem remains inactivity.
Ruiz underwent hand surgery following injuries suffered in 2024, but two years later he still has no confirmed opponent, no vigorous training camp tied to the fight and no clear return timetable.
Still under construction
At this stage, “under construction” can describe both Ruiz’s career and his profile.
World Boxing News has followed the same cycle over and over again. Ruiz recovers, posts motivational messages, suggests refocusing, and then disappears again without the momentum that made it to the ring.
Even Manny Robles, the coach who guided Ruiz to the greatest night of his career against Joshua, admitted earlier this year that inconsistency had become a major frustration of working with him.
Ruiz may be planning one last heavyweight fight. Maybe he’ll shock everyone and show up chasing the bridgeweight title instead.
Regardless of the plan, the heavyweight division still needs Andy Ruiz Jr. competing, not rebuilding in public.
Because right now, the fighter who once switched boxing for a one-night stand in Modern York City feels caught between a comeback and a bust – permanently stuck in construction.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
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Boxing
Teofimo Lopez Questions Dana White After Viral UFC Apex Clip
Published
2 hours agoon
May 29, 2026
Teofimo Lopez publicly questioned Dana White after a video from the BrandRisk event at UFC Apex spread across the internet, showing Dana walking past him at the commentary desk with no apparent greeting or acknowledgment.
The clip went viral on social media this week and sparked a backlash from Teofimo, who used the moment to question the treatment of martial arts champions.
This shows how much they care about us fighters/champions!
Don’t tell me it’s business, nothing personal, when our business is personal.Parents! Should something like this happen to your son or daughter? @Goldenglovesorg @USABoxing @Olympics https://t.co/1KWOmHrgCL
— Teofimo Lopez (@TeofimoLopez) May 29, 2026
The video shows White and UFC director Hunter Campbell walking through the room while Lopez sits in the commentary box. White appears to look towards Teofimo, then walks towards his seat without stopping.
The exchange quickly became a topic of discussion online, with fans debating whether the moment was an intentional slight or simply a byproduct of the frenetic atmosphere surrounding the celebrity event.
Teofimo had previously given a positive review of BrandRisk’s performance, calling it an unforgettable evening. However, his reaction to the clip turned the brief interaction into a broader discussion about respect and appreciation for players.
The timing is noteworthy because Lopez’s name has repeatedly come up in conversations about TKO’s planned Zuffa Boxing venture. Teofimo has spoken out about the project in the past, while criticizing the customary system of championship belts in boxing.
Neither White nor Campbell has publicly responded to Teofimo’s comments.

Dan Ambrose is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24, respected for his direct analysis and extensive coverage of the global fight landscape. His reports focus on the most crucial fights, division development and the most discussed stories in sports.
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Last updated: 29/05/2026 at 17:43
Boxing
Canelo Alvarez names a player he thinks could take his place when he retires
Published
4 hours agoon
May 29, 2026
Canelo Alvarez named the fighter he believes most deserves a moment of passing the torch, perhaps not in the ring, but rather in a non-fight sense.
As a fan of fighters from his home country, the 35-year-old can’t wait to see who emerges as the next face of Mexican boxing.
Many would still consider Canelo the leading star in Mexican boxing even if his next fight is against WBC super middleweight world champion Christian Mbillawill take place on September 12 in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, David Benavidez is widely expected to be a key player on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends, especially given his stellar performance against Gilberto Ramirez earlier this month.
But instead of highlighting Benavidez as the man to follow in his footsteps, Canelo suggested that Jaime Munguia deserves to inherit his metaphorical torch.
Munguia lost a unanimous decision to Alvarez in 2024, but has since teamed up with his compatriot, training under head coach Eddy Reynoso.
This partnership proved particularly successful earlier this month when the 29-year-old became a two-weight world champion, unanimously defeating and dethroning Armando Resendiz to win the WBA super middleweight belt.
While talking to Ring MagazineCanelo stressed that his stablemate is a worthy candidate to take up his torch.
“I would like to pass the torch to Munguia. Why not? He has learned a lot [under Reynoso]. He works very rigid and is a very good guy, so he deserves everything.
While Munguia may have been a hard-working athlete, it certainly raised eyebrows when Munguia tested positive for drugs last year and was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the relevant governing and sanctioning bodies.
Most Valuable Promotions returns to ESPN on Saturday night with MVPW-03, a twelve-fight card at the El Paso County Coliseum built around four women’s title fights and led by a double main event: WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han against Holly Holm in a rematch and unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano against German Cheyenne Hanson. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Preliminary bouts will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Him vs. Holm 2
Stephanie Han (12-0, 3 KO) will defend her WBA lightweight title against Holly Holm (34-3-3, 9 KO) over ten three-minute rounds. The fight is being fought on the same principles of equal opportunity that both sides applied during their first meeting on January 3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The fight ended in the seventh round after an accidental clash of heads resulted in a cut to Han’s eye, which the ringside doctor deemed too earnest to continue. Han received a technical decision with scores of 69-65, 69-64 and 68-65 for Most Valuable Promotions. Holm immediately demanded a rematch, and Han’s promoter agreed.
Han is 35 years elderly, from El Paso, and a full-time police officer who turned professional in 2021. She won the WBA belt after a first-round knockout of Hannah Terlep in February 2025 and is starting her third defense. Holm, 44, of Albuquerque, returned to boxing in June after a twelve-year absence spent in mixed martial arts, where she won the UFC women’s bantamweight title in 2015 by defeating Ronda Rousey. Holm stopped Yolanda Vega in her return to boxing last year under the Jake Paul-Julio César Chávez Jr. card. Saturday’s victory will give her the world champion title in the fourth weight category.
You can read Boxing Insider’s coverage of the first fight in Puerto Rico here.
As Holm enters fight week, the Ronda Rousey storyline is circulating again. Rousey returned to competition on May 16 at the first MVP event and submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds, after which she announced that she was withdrawing from the competition. When asked about chatting about a rematch, Holm said MMA fight: “I highly doubt she’ll ever want a rematch. I’ve always said since the last fight that I would always have a rematch with her. It was always available.” Holm added: “The reason it was so critical to beat her was because she was so dominant. I have all the respect for her.”
Serrano vs. Hanson
Amanda Serrano (48-4-1, 31 KO) will defend her WBA and WBO featherweight titles against German Cheyenne “Pepper” Hanson (17-2, 13 KO) over ten three-minute rounds. This is Hanson’s first world title fight. He’s starting a nine-game winning streak with seven stoppages Illustrated sports.
Serrano will pick up a unanimous decision victory over Reina Tellez on Jan. 3 in San Juan, on the same card that produced Han-Holm 1. She said KTSM in El Paso that the booking was a return of the favor. “Listen, I didn’t think twice when I found out Stephanie Han had a rematch with Holly in El Paso,” Serrano said. “They came and opened up for me. It was my second main event in Puerto Rico, in my hometown, so it was a huge honor for me that they could share that night with me. I thought, what? They’re coming back in a rematch from El Paso, I need to be on this card. Please let me in. And they did.”
The rest of the main card
Two additional world title fights open the four-fight ESPN broadcast.
Australian Desley Robinson (11-3, 4 KO) will defend her IBF and WBO middleweight titles against Mary Spencer (10-3, 6 KO) of Ontario, Canada in a ten-round 160-pound fight. Spencer is a former WBA junior middleweight world champion.
Mexican Lourdes “La Pequeña Lulu” Juarez (39-4, 5 KO) will defend her WBC junior flyweight title against Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle (34-3, 10 KO) over ten rounds. Valle, a three-division world champion, won her seventh world title with the victory.
Introductory card
The undercard, streaming on ESPN+ from 3:30 p.m. ET, features ten fights with a mix of men’s and women’s fights:
- Yesica Nery Plata (30-3, 3 KO) vs. Brook Sibrian (9-2, 4 KO), eight rounds, lightweight
- Reina Tellez (13-1-1, 5 KO) vs. Juliana Basualdo (14-7, 3 KO), eight rounds, featherweight
- Miranda Reyes (8-3-1, 3 KO) vs. Camilla Panatta (8-3-1, 1 KO), eight rounds, super featherweight
- Jocelyn Camarillo (6-0, 1 KO) vs. Yazmin Martinez (3-3-2, 1 KO)
- Iyana Verduzco (7-0, 1 KO) vs. TBA
- Elise Soto (10-0, 9 KO) vs. Thalia Joseline Limon (4-1, 3 KO)
- Alexis Chaparro (7-0, 6 KO) vs. Edward Ulloa (15-7, 12 KO)
- Alexander Gueche (11-0, 7 KO) vs. Joshua Montoya (7-4-2)
- Nazarena Romero (14-1-2, 8 KO) vs. Maria Salinas (27-14-6, 7 KOs)
- Albina Moldazhanova (3-0, 3 KO) vs. Claudia Herrera (5-6-1, 2 KO)
How to watch
Main card: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, streaming on ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited, at Yahoo Sports. Preliminary card: 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The official weigh-in will take place on Friday at 6 p.m. MT at the El Paso County Coliseum and will be streamed on MVP’s YouTube channel and ESPN+.
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