The coach of Andy Ruiz Jr has revealed their relationship is uncertain, and doesn’t know whether he’ll continue working with the Mexican-American.
Manny Robles says he has barely communicated with Ruiz Jr since December 7, as the Mexican-American continues to struggle with fame, money and his embarrassing defeat to Anthony Joshua.
Ruiz Jr shocked the world back in June by defeating Anthony Joshua to strip him of the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.
But the underdog let the glory go to his head, and turned up to the rematch in Saudi Arabia drastically overweight.
AJ schooled the champion to take the belts back with a comfortable points victory.
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My hope is that someone sees my page and decides not to give up. Clean hearts win 🖤
Embarrassing Defeat
The 30-year-old admitted he had partied non-stop and ‘eaten everything’ in the months between the two bouts.
The brief champion is now looking to bounce back from the embarrassing defeat and is reportedly aiming to fight again in the near future.
But Robles says the California-born fighter is currently difficult to reach, and doesn’t know what the future holds.
Asked whether he’ll continue working with Ruiz Jr, he told Sky Sports: “I don’t know. That’s for Andy to decide.”
“I want to say it is still good. He has gone on vacation and everything seems to be fine.”
“We’ll find out in the near future. At some point, we will speak.”
“If and when he’s ready to come back to the gym, that’s when my job begins. My job is not to call him every day. He’s a man, not a kid, and must be treated as such.”
“You can’t convince someone to want something.”
Robles has raised more concerns by suggesting that Ruiz Jr is still struggling with the fame and fortune he gained by shocking the world six months ago.
He continued: “The fame and money has been overwhelming for Andy. He’s got to know how to handle it.”
“Maybe after this defeat, the game has humbled him.”
“Stay humble or be humbled.”
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‘Disappointed by Everything’
Robles was visibly disappointed after the rematch, and expressed his frustrations in the build-up to the fight.
“The first three months after beating Joshua on June 1, I had very little communication with him,” he said.
“I was in the gym but he was at home, doing his own thing.
“I wasn’t able to see him or really talk to him.”
“I was disappointed by everything leading up to the result.”
“The preparation.”
“Fights are won in the gym and, when you don’t go into a fight at 100 percent this is what you get.”
“It was a lack of time in the gym, too many distractions, and not being focused like I expected him to be. So this is the result that you get.”
“He wasn’t prepared for this type of success, fame or money so it could be overwhelming.”
“Preparation is key to beating anybody.”
“Every fight has to be the biggest of your life. You’re a warrior, a gladiator. You have to take this very seriously and I don’t care how much money you’re making.”
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Staying Quiet
With Ruiz Jr currently steering clear of the limelight, it’s unconfirmed when a fight will materialise.
But the the ‘Destroyer’ will be looking to come back a lot more prepared than he did in December.
WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte is a potential opponent.
(Featured image source: Instagram/ Andy Ruiz Jr)