Andy Ruiz Jr. was relatively unknown to casual boxing fans until he knocked out Anthony Joshua to become the first-ever Mexican heavyweight champion in 2019. However, he had already done enough to bill himself as an elite before stepping into the fight.

The 31-year-old has never been knocked out in a professional clash and boasts of a 33-2 record, with 22 wins coming via KOs. Hence, he is rightfully a threat to every other contender in the division. Meanwhile, Andy Ruiz Jr’s personality off-canvas hasn’t allowed many to see him as a vicious hitter.

The humble ex-world champion doesn’t indulge in heavy trash talks, but when he is in-ring, his opponents scramble for a hit. Thus, Ruiz Jr’s statistics and his caliber validate his spot amongst the other elites of the heavyweight division.

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Andy Ruiz Jr. – ‘The Destroyer’ in-ring and on paper

6’2” tall orthodox boxer Ruiz Jr. became a professional in 2009 against Miguel Salvador Ramirez and opened his book with a sensational KO. ‘The Destroyer’ went on a tear and registered a clean record of 29-0 before suffering the maiden career loss against Joseph Parker in 2016.

However, he regained the winning status with back-to-back three wins and bagged the chance to change Anthony Joshua for the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO heavyweight belts. Going against an undefeated champion like Joshua, Ruiz Jr. was clearly the underdog.

While the heavyweights collided at Saudi Arabia in a 12-rounds headliner, Anthony Joshua dominated Ruiz Jr. in the early stage. It seemed Ruiz Jr would suffer his second loss that night. But he turned the tables in fashion and shook up the world with a seventh-round knockout. It was one of the biggest upsets of heavyweight boxing and will remain one of the biggest wins of the Mexican giant’s career.

Unfortunately, Andy Ruiz Jr. lost the titles in the rematch against Joshua. ‘AJ’ took his titles back in a lopsided showdown and handed a second unanimous loss to Ruiz Jr’s carer. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old sights to come back, considering he is still relevant in the title picture.

Adding to that, he has also shredded some valuable pounds ahead of a big return against Chris Arreola. In his rematch against Joshua, Ruiz Jr weighed 283.7 lbs as per DAZN. However, he has changed his head coach and is now at Team Canelo with Eddy Reynoso. And seems to have donned a perfect fighting physique. Meanwhile, Ruiz also has a different side to his life which revolves around social media.

Andy Ruiz Jr. on social media

The heavyweight superstar is highly active in social media and also has his own YouTube channel. He reflects on his daily lifestyle, boxing training family, and other things through his official accounts. Moreover, he also posts official videos of his fights.

Ruiz Jr. has a total of 66.5 K subscribers on his YouTube channel and 1.9 million followers on Instagram. He also has 189.6 k followers on Twitter. Hence, the heavyweight pugilist is arguably one of the most popular athletes globally. If he becomes a world champion again, it will open the door to even bigger stardom ahead.

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