Andy Ruiz, center, flanked by former champions Ivan Calderon and Miguel Cotto (Photo: Victor Planas – WBO)
By Chris Robinson
It was a festive scene in Puerto Rico earlier this week, as unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr., holder of the IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, was on hand to collect another belt. This particular bauble, presented by the WBO’s own Francisco ‘Paco’ Valcárcel, Esq., was awarded to Ruiz in honor of his historic victory over former champion Anthony Joshua last month.
On hand were former champions Ivan Calderon and Miguel Cotto, amongst many others, who presented Ruiz with his new belt.
“Thank you very much to everyone who is supporting me and they came here to support me,” stated Ruiz. “Thanks to the WBO for a very wonderful belt, very nice. I battled a lot since I was little kid and to be world champion also with a lot of sacrifice, a lot of training. Many think that I don’t train hard enough, but I train very hard. I’m very happy. Making history for being the first Mexican heavyweight world champion It’s a dream I’ve always wanted since I was a child and now I’ve achieved everything.”
Ruiz was a big underdog against Joshua, yet he recovered from a third round knockdown before turning the tide of the fight and scoring four knockdowns of his own on his way towards a seventh round TKO victory. That sensational upset inside of Madison Square Garden in New York, has given Ruiz’s career a huge boost and we are patiently waiting for confirmation regarding details of his impending rematch with Joshua later this year.
Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com