ANTHONY JOSHUA hit the scales 20-and-a-half pounds lighter than Andy Ruiz Jr ahead of tomorrow’s clash for the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. A lot had been said about the portly challenger’s physique in the build-up and he surprised many by coming in at a fleshier than expected 268lbs, his heaviest weight since 2014.
Joshua, as he has all week, looked like the picture of calm as he took to the scales and was in typically immaculate shape at 247.8lbs. For context, he weighed 245.7lbs against Alexander Povetkin in September last year, 242lbs for Joseph Parker in March. His heaviest came in 2017 when he scaled 254lbs against Carlos Takam.
“Andy Ruiz is a fighting man and good luck to him, his team and his family,” said Joshua, somewhat ominously.
“I was up at 3am yesterday morning looking at all the coverage. It’s important for me to deliver. Tomorrow night I put the titles in the air and they’re up for grabs.”
Andy Ruiz Jr, meanwhile, looked almost ridiculous next to Joshua – who is at least four inches taller – but there’s no denying the guy is excited to get his chance. There had been some suggestion during fight week that he had been trying to lose weight but it seems that was something of a smoke screen as he tipped the scales at 268lbs to a chorus of ‘You Fat B*****d’ from the thousands of British fans in attendance. Stay classy, UK.
“It’s going to be an exciting fight, tune in, I’m going to give it all I’ve got,” Ruiz chuckled.
“[The heavier weight] is the gameplan, I’m fighting someone big, someone taller than me and my punches will be that much stronger. I’m f**king ready.
“I want to make history and become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world.”
Ruiz was 262lbs for his victory over Alexander Dimitrenko in April though he remained below his heaviest ever weight, which came in 2009 when he weighed a whopping 292lbs in his second professional fight.
Over three-thousand fans packed into Madison Square Garden to watch the fighters hit the scales. The event was put back two hours from the usual 2pm big-fight weigh-in time to ensure any UK supporters flying out on Friday morning made it in time.
Fighters of past and present Anthony Crolla, Carl Froch, Liam Smith, George Groves, Oleksandr Usyk, Matthew Macklin, Carl Frampton, Joseph Parker, Jessie Vargas, Johnny Nelson, Devin Haney and Tevin Farmer got the Dave Diamante announcer treatment as they were introduced to the crowd.
Dereck Chisora, meanwhile, could be spotted next to the stage looking disgruntled as the boxers lapped up the crowd’s cheers.
UNDERCARD WEIGHTS:
Callum Smith, 167.6lbs
Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam, 166lbs
Katie Taylor, 135lbs
Delfine Perssoon, 134.6
Chris Algieri, 139.8lbs
Tommy Coyle, 139.6lbs
Joshua Buatsi, 174lbs
Marco Antonio Periban, 172lbs
Josh Kelly, 147lbs
Ray Robinson, 146lbs
