Andy Ruiz Jr looks fit again, but we’ve heard this story before.
The former unified heavyweight champion posted photos showing his improvement in fitness, along with a message about overcoming adversity.
“Chase your dreams that you want so badly. Even if there are roller coasters or bumps in the road, keep pushing and have faith. Your dreams will come true. This message is for you and me.”
Andy Ruiz Jr sends a message
This week’s social media post indicates a renewed focus on the team, something Ruiz has repeatedly hinted at over the past few years. It is also based on a well-known pattern.
Ruiz had already shown signs of returning to form, but the momentum stalled before he reached the ring.
Every update starts with a promise. Too often it ends with no fight announced or any real next step.
World Boxing News has followed this pattern closely, from his reunion with Manny Robles to the ongoing uncertainty about what will happen next.
The return to Robles was supposed to be a reset – a return to the structure that carried him to a career-defining victory over Anthony Joshua. It hasn’t produced anything yet.
Robles admitted earlier this year that working with Ruiz was hard, pointing directly to the lack of consistency that continues to hold him back.
These concerns now appear with every update. Ruiz did not engage with Robles during the session he posted, but was observable in a video posted a miniature time later.
@andy_destroyer13
Three fights in seven years
Since losing his titles in a rematch with Joshua, Ruiz has fought just three times in seven years.
Victories over Chris Arreola and Luis Ortiz and then a draw against Jarrell Miller represent minimal gain for a fighter of his profile and skill set.
For a former unified champion still in his prime, this level of inactivity is extraordinary.
Ruiz’s latest message points to another rebuilding attempt – something that has been suggested before. Given history, it also looks like another false dawn.
Noticeable progress, positive words and no movement where it matters. At this stage, Ruiz repeats the same pattern without moving forward.
There is still no opponent, no schedule and no clear sign that anything has changed. It’s tough to see the difference this time.
Even his absence from recent heavyweight events raises further questions about where he fits.
Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and a trilogy with Anthony Joshua are out of reach due to Ruiz’s lack of commitment to the title chase.
@andy_destroyer13
Time becomes history
Now every Ruiz update comes with the same problem – time. The gap between intention and action continues to widen.
Any period of inactivity makes it harder to treat these moments as part of a true comeback.
Ruiz remains one of the most naturally gifted heavyweights of his era. He can cause trouble for anyone in the evening if he can find the attitude that got him to the top.
Too often the effort feels forced – it’s more about maintaining the comeback image than fully committing to it.
If that doesn’t change, there’s a risk his career will drift away from significant contention.
Boxing doesn’t wait – and rarely forgives wasted time. Without a decisive return to the ring, Ruiz risks seeing a chance to regain her footing without him.
At this point, the path forward may look very different, with exhibition opportunities or one-off events replacing any realistic pursuit of another world title.
For now, Ruiz has shown he can return to form, but until that answer appears in the ring, every update may sound exactly the same.
About the authorPhil 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.
A commendable sum of £73,500 was raised for charity as Tony Bellew and David Price gathered for a boxing night in Liverpool.
The gala took place on April 17 and former professional footballers clashed at the event, which was endorsed by sporting icons such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
The event, billed as “A Night To Remember II”, followed Pro Project Promotions’ first charity boxing event in October with the aim of giving retired athletes the opportunity to rekindle their competitive spirit.
Similarly, Pro Project Promotions founder Graham Stack, a former Arsenal goalkeeper, hopes to raise a total of £500,000 in the organization’s debut year.
He’s already close to halfway there, having raised a total of £201,000 for charities including Children’s Charity Merseyside and Autism Merseyside.
Stack made it clear that this was just the beginning.
“I am very proud to see Pro Project Promotions grow from strength to strength. These events give retired players a purpose, structure and a way to continue to compete for something that truly matters.
“To raise £73,500 [in April] and moving our total for six months over £201,000 is fantastic. We are closing in on £500,000 raised for the charity and I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far.”
Pro Project Promotions will return to Liverpool’s Grosvenor House Hotel on October 22, with ambassadors such as Natasha Jonas and Liam Smith expected to continue to provide support.
As for April’s performance, it was ultimately Swansea City cult hero Lee Trundle who won the main event against former Scotland striker Chris Iwelumo.
Participants, artists and charities for Pro Project Promotions’ next boxing event will be announced in the coming weeks.
One fan accused Stevenson of talking about major fights without taking steps to make them happen.
“The fuck is when are you??? You ran to Zuffa to avoid Shock??? You didn’t want to smoke with Devin, if you’re waiting for the right moment it makes sense if you fight, now you’re trying so tough to keep it 0,” the critic wrote.
Shakur either really doesn’t get it yet or is trying to masterfully do public relations damage control to keep his name among the division’s elite.
If Dana White runs Zuffa Boxing by the UFC playbook, the league format completely changes the game. In this world, you don’t call on top-level players or Matchroom players because you’re locked in a closed ecosystem. The UFC does not partner with Bellator or PFL to stage superfights, and they have no intention of sending their prized fighters to fight on a rival network under a different promotional banner.
If Shakur really thinks he can just pocket a huge salary at Zuffa and still easily land Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez, he’s in for a rude awakening. The promotional walls are bulky, and Dana White is not known for playing well with classic boxing promoters.
At this point, Shakur still speaks like an independent performer who can dictate his own path. But if Zuffa is building a league, it has simply traded that independence for a corporate structure. He may find himself trapped in a gilded cage completely isolated from the struggles that he claims define the legacy.
If the UFC model is the plan, it guarantees financial security but risks complete isolation from the wider boxing world. By the time he finishes his tour of duty and realizes that mass promotion fights will be off the table forever, the physical attributes that made him a four-division champion may already be gone.
Former two-division world champion and top trainer Buddy McGirt has suggested that one fighter, between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, will likely go into the fight with one clear advantage.
According to reports, both pound-for-pound legends will face each other in a professional rematch scheduled for September 26.
However, despite the uncertainty, it appears that both fighters have agreed to collide in a fully sanctioned fight, with Mayweather graciously putting his 50-0 record on the line.
The 49-year-old hasn’t fought professionally since a 10th-round knockout of Conor McGregor in 2017, which came just over two years after he edged ‘Pac Man’ by unanimous decision.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, has competed in eight professional fights since their first meeting, most recently drawing to a 12-round draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios last July.
McGirt said that because of this increased activity in recent years ESNEWS that it favors the 47-year-old Filipino, even if neither player can realistically claim to be a role model of activism.
“I am [going to] follow Pacquiao for the straightforward fact that Floyd didn’t fight – e.g [in] fight-fight – for how long?
“These exhibition fights, you can’t really count them. Then again, I’ll go with Pacquiao, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Floyd manages to do it.”
Although Pacquiao has fought more recently than Mayweather, his draw with Barrios ended a nearly four-year hiatus that followed his unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas.
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