“Organizers Were Disappointed” With Andy Ruiz Jr., Jarrell Miller Rematch Not Happening Claims Boxing Insider

Andy Ruiz Jr. was given a shot at redemption but he failed to take it. Ever since his career-defining win against Anthony Joshua in December 2019, Ruiz’s career has been on the downside. After his victory over AJ to become the unified heavyweight champion, albeit for a short period, the Mexican-American fighter has fought only four times in five years. Coming back from a two-year-long hiatus, Ruiz stepped into the squared circle yesterday against Jarrell Miller on the undercard of the Crawford-Madrimov main event. The stage was set for Ruiz’s stunning comeback, but it ended in a whimper. After making headway in the first couple of rounds, Ruiz gassed out.

Taking advantage, ‘Destroyer’s’ opponent Jarrell Miller put pressure on him throughout the fight and kept peppering him with powerful punches to the body and the head. What’s more, luck was not on Ruiz’s side as he fought with a broken hand since round five. Eventually, both fighters went the distance, and the result was a controversial majority decision draw. During the post-fight interview, Ruiz expressed his intention to run it back again. But, reportedly, the organizers have seen enough to not entertain the prospect of a rematch.

Tale of a Riyadh season downer!

HE Turki Alalshikh is currently regarded as the savior of boxing. The stacked and exciting fight card for the Crawford-Madrimov main event was brought to the fans by Riyadh season in partnership with Top Rank. This was the first event promoted by HE’s Riyadh season outside of Saudi Arabia, and the event was broadcast on DAZN, ESPN+, and Prime Video.

A huge amount of money was invested into the high-octane affair, and the fighters were supposed to bring their A-game. But, the undercard bout involving the two heavyweight giants Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller wasn’t a blockbuster. The fight went the distance with no explosive sequences. On that note, Ruiz’s wish to have a rematch against ‘Big Baby’ wouldn’t be granted by the organizers, boxing insider Rick Glaser claimed.

“#AndyRuiz–#BigBabyMiller draw won’t see a rematch, as I’m being told by multiple sources,” Glazer wrote on X. Furthermore, Glaser stated that the organizers were specifically unhappy with Ruiz’s performance, and felt that Miller won the contest.

“Organizers were disappointed in Ruiz conditioning, & also thought that Big Baby Miller got robbed. Miller will end up with a bigger fight next. And Ruiz needs to get in shape,” Glaser further stated.

Many boxing fans were also not happy with the judges’ decision. They felt that Miller did enough to win the fight. In fact, one judge scored the fight 116-112 in favor of Miller, only to be trumped by two 114-114 scorecards.

Coming off the back of a defeat against Daniel Dubois in December last year, it was a much-improved performance shown by Miller against Ruiz. As for the Mexican-American fighter, he is going further down the pecking order in the heavyweight division. Nonetheless, Ruiz explained the moment the fight’s momentum shifted in Miller’s favor.

Luck didn’t favor the brave

Andy Ruiz Jr. was booed after his fight against ‘Big Baby’ was declared a draw. However, Ruiz later revealed in the post-fight interview that he fought with a broken hand for the majority of the rounds.

In the interview Ruiz gave to DAZN, he stated,  “In the fifth round, I was struggling so much I kept holding and holding. I couldn’t counter like I wanted to. I landed a big right hand to his temple, and that’s how the sh*t hurts bro.”

A disappointed Ruiz further stated that if it wasn’t for the broken hand, he could have beaten the New-Yok native. “I know I could have beat him. I think I could have done a lot more if the sh*t wasn’t broken,” Ruiz asserted.

The horrible hand injury slowed Ruiz down in the fight, and he couldn’t inflict damage on his opponent the way he wanted to. It remains to be seen how long it takes for Ruiz’s hand to be healed up. Regardless, would you like to see a rematch between Andy Ruiz Jr and Jarrell Miller? Do you think Andy Ruiz can win a world title again? Let us know in the comment section below.