Sports
Andy Ruiz fires trainer over rematch loss to Anthony Joshua
Andy Ruiz Jr has parted ways with his trainer Manny Robles following his rematch loss to Anthony Joshua last December.
The Mexican was outclassed by the British heavyweight in Saudi Arabia in December as he lost via a unanimous decision, gifting his titles back to Joshua after a stunning upset last summer.
Ruiz stopped Joshua in Madison Square Garden last June to claim the IBF, IBO, WBA Super and WBO belts, but he admitted to overeating and partying in the aftermath of his historic win, and Robles said the split was inevitable.
Speaking to ESPN, Robles said his fighter had been out of control in the build up to the crucial rematch, with the man himself admitting he “wished he had taken it more seriously”.
But he added that the relationship was never going to work going forward because Ruiz ‘wasn’t listening’.
“I’ve seen it coming, I’ll be honest with you,’ he said. ‘Andy was just doing whatever the hell he wanted to do. The dad, obviously with him being the manager, he just had no control over his son. None of us had control of him, for that matter
“So I just saw it coming, it wasn’t going to work because he wasn’t listening. He’s not listening to me, he’s not listening to his dad, he’s not listening to anybody. He said it himself after the [post-fight] press conference.
“Fortunately for me, Andy took the blame on himself and didn’t sit there like a majority of fighters and blame the coach.”
Speaking after his one-sided loss to Joshua, Ruiz said his emotional victory over his rival last year had put him on cloud nine and took celebrations a little too far.
He will now be looking for a new coach for 2020 as he looks to put himself back on the heavyweight map, and Robles said the decision was taken by the fighter’s promoter Al Haymon to give him a fresh start.
“They apparently told them that they didn’t want the same thing to repeat itself again,” Robles added.
“It is what it is, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not the first time it’s happened to me. I’m absolutely grateful and blessed to have been able to experience everything that I was able to experience in 2019.
“I mean, we made history, and I have to be thankful for that. I have to be thankful to Andy and his dad for giving me the opportunity to be part of something special, to have made history – for him to become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world.”
While Ruiz will be looking to start his year with a win, that hasn’t stopped Eddie Hearn from tempting the Mexican with a huge offer to fight Dillian Whyte.
The promoter admitted he was waiting to hear back from Ruiz’s team after making an improved offer, although it is thought that he is yet to return to training after his damaging loss and will need to get back into shape before such a huge bout
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