A union between the first ever heavyweight boxing champion of Mexican descent, Andy Ruiz Jr., and arguably the best Mexican coach in the business, Eddy Reynoso, fittingly was announced Tuesday on Cinco de Mayo.
After weeks of public discussion and speculation, Andy Ruiz has named Eddy Reynoso, the 2019 Boxing Writers Association of America Trainer of the Year, as his new head coach. BoxingAfrica.com reported on this earlier.
The announcement was made on Reynoso’s Instagram page, along with the caption, “Welcome to the team, Andy! Let’s give it a good go!”
The 30-year-old Ruiz (33-2, 22 KOs) is looking for a reinvention after regressing shortly after becoming a unified champion last June. He split with former coach Manny Robles earlier this year after his rematch loss to Anthony Joshua in December.
Ruiz looked flat in the fight because he failed to train in the sequel in Saudi Arabia, tipping the scales at a hefty 283.7 pounds. He weighed 268 the day his life changed forever when he defeated Joshua for the WBO, IBF, WBA and IBO titles in New York.
Never a body beautiful, Ruiz admitted he parlayed his newfound fame into partying and poor choices with his diet, despite the fact that he maintained he was eating healthy and even looked more svelte in pictures leading up to the Joshua fight.
The hard-charging Ruiz has incredibly fast hands for a heavyweight his size. Under the guidance of Reynoso, a more slender Ruiz should shape up to show a more dynamic set of skills.
Reynoso arguably presides over boxing’s best stable, including the sport’s biggest breadwinner in Canelo Alvarez, up and coming prospects like Ryan Garcia and Frank Sanchez and current and former world champions like Oscar Valdez, Luis Nery, and Julio Cesar Martinez.
Ruiz should find motivation training alongside his new teammates, and the no-nonsense Reynoso.
In April, Reynoso said he was ready to work with Ruiz as long as there was order and discipline.
“We’re ready to work with any fighter. It would also be an honor to work with the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent,” said Reynoso.
Reynoso’s gym is based in San Diego. Ruiz hails from Imperial, Calif., a nearby town on the California-Mexico border.
There were previous discussions of Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas perhaps steering the ship of Ruiz’s career, but that pairing never materialized even after Atlas shared a detailed blueprint as to how he’d resurrect the fighter.
–boxingscene.com
