JRE MMA Show #72 with Andy Ruiz

Joe Rogan 0:02 And we're live. What's up-

Andy Ruiz 0:04 What's up?

Joe Rogan 0:04 ... heavyweight champion of the world.

Andy Ruiz 0:05 Mm.

Joe Rogan 0:05 How's that feel, man?

Andy Ruiz 0:07 It's amazing, you know. It's a big blessing. Just happy.

Joe Rogan 0:11 Does, does it seem real?

Andy Ruiz 0:13 It's still ... Yeah, of course. It's real, uh ... For the first few weeks, the first few days, I was pinching myself, seeing if it was-

Joe Rogan 0:18 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 0:19 ... if it was a dream or nothing, but, you know, I'm just really blessed to be here. Lot of big blessings.

Joe Rogan 0:24 What an incredible situation, right? You got ... So, s- so, like, how many weeks out did you find out about the fight?

Andy Ruiz 0:30 Um, I think it was, like, a month, a month and two weeks.

Joe Rogan 0:33 Wow.

Andy Ruiz 0:34 A month and two weeks, I messaged Eddie Hearn. I told him, "You know what? Give me the opportunity." And wouldn't you know, he messaged back. Me and my girl were just all happy, like, "Whoa." It was crazy.

Joe Rogan 0:44 Wow. And you were already in camp, right?

Andy Ruiz 0:47 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 0:47 So, like, wasn't like you ... they called you out of shape?

Andy Ruiz 0:50 No, um ... No, it was after my fight against, uh, Oleksandr Dymytrenko.

Joe Rogan 0:54 Oh, that's right. How much time did you have off to recover?

Andy Ruiz 0:57 Um, I just took, like, a week and a half off.

Joe Rogan 1:00 Oh, that's nice.

Andy Ruiz 1:00 And I went back to the gym, and I was just ready and loose. So it was ... It couldn't have happened at a perfect time.

Joe Rogan 1:06 That's amazing. Um, do you like it like that, where you just experienced a big fight so you're already kind of used to the, the being in the ring, being on television, the whole moment of it all, and then, boom, it happens again right afterwards?

Andy Ruiz 1:19 Yeah, of course. You know, 'cause I was already loose, I was already in fight mode. So especially from f- uh, having the heavyweight champion title, you know, um, the opportunity to get that, it's ... It was amazing.

Joe Rogan 1:31 It was an incredible fight, man. It was incredible.

Andy Ruiz 1:33 Yeah, thank you.

Joe Rogan 1:34 It was really amazing. What was amazing was when you got dropped, you kept your composure. You got up and then he tried to move in for the kill, and then you started landing bombs on him and dropped him. And I remember jumping off the bed while I was watching going, "Oh, shit."

Andy Ruiz 1:50 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 1:50 It was wild, man. It was a wild fight.

Andy Ruiz 1:52 Yeah. Uh, it was my first time getting dropped. And, you know what, um, I don't feel super hurt, you know, because I, I ... When I got dropped, he hit me with, uh, a good right hand and I took it like a champ. But, psh, I got up, man, and I just throw him bombs.

Joe Rogan 2:08 You have fluid punches, man. I mean, it's, it's really interesting to watch. You, you're so efficient, like the way you throw punches. You're not, like, grunting and fucking digging. Like, there's a lot of guys that you see, there's a, a tremendous amount of energy that's expended every time they throw punches. But you, man, your punches just come in bunches. They just brr. You just fire them off, man.

Andy Ruiz 2:29 Yeah, the combinations.

Joe Rogan 2:30 Oh.

Andy Ruiz 2:30 The combinations that we've been working at the gym. Manny Robles, that's why I g- I had a trainer who throws a lot of combinations that's good at, uh, working speed. So I think we click really good together.

Joe Rogan 2:40 Well, it's such a big asset for heavyweights-

Andy Ruiz 2:43 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 2:43 ... because most heavyweights, they're throwing big bombs and they're-

Andy Ruiz 2:45 They're looking for that one punch.

Joe Rogan 2:47 Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, and you, you just pile them on, man.

Andy Ruiz 2:50 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 2:50 And you're throwing them at all these angles. And especially when you get in tight with dudes, you know, like, when, when you're in tight with dudes in these dogfights, your punches are coming at all these different angles. It's so fluid.

Andy Ruiz 3:01 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 3:01 It's beautiful to watch, man.

Andy Ruiz 3:02 Oh, thank you, man. Especially with these big guys. I love fighting bigger guys, you know. Some ... One time I s- I fought a guy that was shorter than me and it, it was kinda hard. So imagine f- uh, me pressuring bigger guys and throwing these combinations. It, it works for me really good.

Joe Rogan 3:18 It does. And you're the first ever Mexican heavyweight champion of the world.

Andy Ruiz 3:23 Woo.

Joe Rogan 3:23 (whistles)

Andy Ruiz 3:24 Man, thanks to God.

Joe Rogan 3:25 It's crazy, man.

Andy Ruiz 3:26 It's crazy.

Joe Rogan 3:26 I mean, you are in, uh, the same, uh, league as, uh, Cain Velasquez, the first ever UFC-

Andy Ruiz 3:31 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 3:31 ... heavyweight champion that was Mexican.

Andy Ruiz 3:33 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 3:33 I mean, that's, uh, that's does, um, incredible honor, man.

Andy Ruiz 3:37 Mm-hmm. Thanks, man. Appreciate that.

Joe Rogan 3:39 The love you must be getting from the Mexican community. Woo.

Andy Ruiz 3:40 From all the Mexicans, oh my gosh. I can't even go to the store without taking-

Joe Rogan 3:45 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 3:45 ... so many pictures. People are in lines. They get off, uh, like, say if I'm in a drive-through somewhere, they get off, uh, of their car and try to take pictures. But it's a blessing, you know. Uh, I really appreciate all my fans, all the supporters.

Joe Rogan 3:58 It's amazing, man. And, you know, what was really cool was, uh, the post-fight press conference when you were talking about it, where you're like, "Damn," you know, "We made it." And you were, you, you know, were saying, "We're set."

Andy Ruiz 4:08 Telling my mom, you know.

Joe Rogan 4:09 Yeah, you were telling your mom. That was beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 4:11 Yeah. And because a lot of people don't know that we're, we're struggling a lot even before this fight, you know. And, um, going through a lot of the stuff with, uh, Top Rank, with Bob Arum, of me not getting a lot of fights, uh, waiting, waiting, um, because I had one more fight left with them. So they, they didn't wanna let me go, so I had to pay my ... pay it off. So now-

Joe Rogan 4:33 Thank God you did.

Andy Ruiz 4:34 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 4:35 Whoops.

Andy Ruiz 4:35 Everything's turned around so quick.

Joe Rogan 4:37 Yeah. Sorry, Bob.

Andy Ruiz 4:38 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 4:38 You fucked up.

Andy Ruiz 4:39 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 4:40 Well, there's a lot of dudes who were not interested in fighting you, you know.

Andy Ruiz 4:43 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 4:44 Um, I, I, I had seen ... It was, it was one of those things where you were incredibly talented and incredibly skilled, but you didn't have the biggest name yet.

Andy Ruiz 4:51 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 4:51 So there wasn't, like, a lot of money in it yet.

Andy Ruiz 4:53 No.

Joe Rogan 4:53 But there was a giant risk. And a lot of the insiders were very, very aware of this. You know, guys who really followed boxing were very aware of this. And coming into that fight, like, I had talked to a lot of people that are, like, big boxing fans, and they're like, "That dude is a live dog."

Andy Ruiz 5:09 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 5:09 Like, "That's a live dog." Like, w- I mean, for sure Anthony Joshua is a bad motherfucker. He's a big, giant, muscular dude who looks like Adonis.

Andy Ruiz 5:16 Big guy. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 5:17 But they were like, "Andy Ruiz is a live dog. He can win that fucking fight."

Andy Ruiz 5:20 It's 'cause when they see me, they're like, "Oh, look at this chubby kid, man. He, he's gonna get tired really fast. He's, he's gonna get knocked out." But the real people that know about boxing, they, they know the, the skills that I have, the movement.

Joe Rogan 5:32 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 5:32 Yeah, I could get a little bit more fit and, um, more leaner, you know, get the, the, um ... like, the extra fat, turn it into muscle. I'd love to do that, you know.

Joe Rogan 5:42 But the thing is, people love you because you're kind of chubby. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 5:45 Yeah, 'cause I, um, I'm me.

Joe Rogan 5:47 Well, it's also you, you're like, you're like, "Hey." You know, people that, like, go to the beach and don't wanna take their shirt off, they're like, "Fuck, man."

Andy Ruiz 5:53 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 5:53 "Andy Ruiz is kinda built like me."

Andy Ruiz 5:55 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 5:55 "Shit."

Andy Ruiz 5:56 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 5:56 "And he's the champ of the world."

Andy Ruiz 5:58 Yeah. Give, give these big guys confident, you know, you know.

Joe Rogan 6:01 It d- it makes a big deal. Like, you remember when Butterbean ... Well, Butterbean was obviously never a champ, but, you know, people used to love Butterbean.

Andy Ruiz 6:08 The four-round champ, though. Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 6:08 Because he was this big fat guy who would fuck people up.

Andy Ruiz 6:11 You know what? I took a picture with, uh, Butterbean when I was, uh, like ... I think I was, like, five years old, six years old in Tijuana. He fought over there, and he was a b- a big guy, man, big guy.

Joe Rogan 6:20 He was a tank, man.

Andy Ruiz 6:21 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 6:22 And that, that dude had some fucking power.

Andy Ruiz 6:24 Yeah. Beating everybody up.

Joe Rogan 6:25 He would starch people.You know what I mean? (laughs) He really couldn't go past four or five rounds, but he would put a fucking beating on you for four rounds.

Andy Ruiz 6:32 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 6:32 You ever see when Johnny Knoxville from, uh... That- that crazy asshole decided to-

Andy Ruiz 6:37 Yeah. He got-

Joe Rogan 6:37 ... jackass.

Andy Ruiz 6:37 ... actually made him bleed or something on the head.

Joe Rogan 6:39 Oh, my God. Well, he- they-

Andy Ruiz 6:41 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 6:41 He let him punch him for some crazy ra- reason. He decided to try to box with-

Andy Ruiz 6:45 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 6:45 Butterbean, and Butterbean just brained him.

Andy Ruiz 6:48 It was not fun.

Joe Rogan 6:48 It was not good.

Andy Ruiz 6:49 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 6:50 Don't do that to people, man.

Andy Ruiz 6:51 No.

Joe Rogan 6:52 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 6:52 I'm gonna sign a waiver for it.

Joe Rogan 6:54 So, you're sitting pretty right now, man. I mean, you're at the top of the heap. You're the champ, and you're... You are the most popular champ right now because you're the guy who pulled off the giant upset-

Andy Ruiz 7:04 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 7:04 ... over the Olympic gold medalist, the fucking... The man, Anthony Joshua. You knock him out and, like, the... Everyone is sitting there chomping at the bit. There's Wilder, who's, you know, probably the greatest knockout artist in the history of the heavyweight division.

Andy Ruiz 7:19 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 7:19 And then there's Tyson Fury, and Tyson Fury and Wilder trying to figure it out. And then Tyson Fury's now in a different organization. It's, uh, hard to make the matches work now. It's like, "What happens next for you?"

Andy Ruiz 7:30 You know, um, what's gonna be next is the- the rematch against me and Anthony Joshua. We're still negotiating, um, but there's definitely gonna be a rematch this year. Exciting fight. Uh, but yeah. But, uh, Wilder, you know. Uh, Wilder, we're... Me and him are on the same team. I had a- a little interview with him over there at the Pacquiao fight and really cool dude. W-

Joe Rogan 7:53 He's very cool.

Andy Ruiz 7:54 Yeah, he's really cool. We respect each other and, um... But that- that'll be a good fight too, you know.

Joe Rogan 8:00 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 8:01 Between me and him. I love that.

Joe Rogan 8:03 Well, I mean, people knew who he was before, but goddamn, that Tyson Fury fight put him on the map.

Andy Ruiz 8:08 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 8:08 What a crazy, crazy fight.

Andy Ruiz 8:09 That was a really good fight. I was there too. I was like, "Man, I wanna be in that position. I wanna be champion." It kinda motivated me, you know.

Joe Rogan 8:16 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 8:16 Being there.

Joe Rogan 8:17 Well, you know, and then his... The- the fight with Breazeale afterwards where he- he flat-lined him.

Andy Ruiz 8:21 Oh, yeah, yeah.

Joe Rogan 8:21 That one punch. He's an interesting guy, man. He's so interesting. You know his story that he didn't even start boxing until he was like 20-something years old?

Andy Ruiz 8:29 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 8:29 And he really started doing it because of his daughter, 'cause his daughter has medical issues. Got into the Olympic team. Won a bronze medal a year and a half into boxing.

Andy Ruiz 8:36 That's crazy.

Joe Rogan 8:38 Yeah, it's nuts, man.

Andy Ruiz 8:39 Yeah. But he's blessed, you know.

Joe Rogan 8:40 Yeah, blessed. Like you, man.

Andy Ruiz 8:42 Mm-hmm. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 8:43 I mean, this... Is it... It- it's gotta be a crazy feeling, though. Like six months ago, you're this struggling boxer, you know, trying to make ends meet, you know, s- m- working your way up, very respected, but you don't have that big name yet.

Andy Ruiz 8:57 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 8:58 And then boom, you get the opportunity of all opportunities.

Andy Ruiz 9:01 I think that's what I needed, just the opportunity and be hungry, you know. Uh, from having nothing to wanting to want, uh, something, you know, in life.

Joe Rogan 9:10 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 9:10 It- It's a big motivation, especially with me. I have five kids, so I have a lot-

Joe Rogan 9:14 Damn! How old are you?

Andy Ruiz 9:16 I'm 29.

Joe Rogan 9:17 Wow.

Andy Ruiz 9:17 29.

Joe Rogan 9:17 Five kids? Started early.

Andy Ruiz 9:19 I know, but... (laughs)

Joe Rogan 9:20 Mexican style.

Andy Ruiz 9:21 Yeah. (laughs) Mexican style, exactly.

Joe Rogan 9:23 (laughs) Beautiful. Well, hey man, your five kids are sitting pretty now, man.

Andy Ruiz 9:27 Yeah, sitting pretty.

Joe Rogan 9:27 That's beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 9:28 Thank you.

Joe Rogan 9:28 So you... Uh, there's a rematch that is in negotiation now. How much can you tell us?

Andy Ruiz 9:34 Um, that is gonna be in December, sometime December. Uh, um, t- uh... The- there's gonna be a... It's gonna come out pretty soon, you know. I- I don't wanna say-

Joe Rogan 9:45 Can you say where it's gonna be?

Andy Ruiz 9:46 I- I can't say.

Joe Rogan 9:46 You already told me.

Andy Ruiz 9:46 I did tell you, but I- I-

Joe Rogan 9:48 I'm not telling anybody.

Andy Ruiz 9:48 No, don't tell nobody.

Joe Rogan 9:49 'Til the cameras are off.

Andy Ruiz 9:50 (laughs) Yeah. Um, but it's gonna be this year. It's gonna be an exciting fight. Me and Anthony Joshua rematch. Uh, but, um, the- the where it's gonna come out soon, where it's gonna be at. If anything, I'll message you and be like... Oh, you already know actually.

Joe Rogan 10:05 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 10:05 You already know.

Joe Rogan 10:06 Well, um, th- so now going into this rematch, is there anything that you're gonna do differently? I mean, um, you know obviously now that he's well aware you're a big threat.

Andy Ruiz 10:18 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 10:18 You know, he's gonna think about you. I mean, I'm sure he was aware you were a threat before, but when you stopped him and you became the first guy to beat him, I mean, that- that... I mean, that changes history.

Andy Ruiz 10:27 Mm-hmm. I think what we're gonna do, uh, um, we're- we're getting a big house over there in Mexico somewhere in the- in the nowheres, you know. So we're gonna have a clusive, uh, a camp, you know, a closed camp. So we're just gonna be really focused for this fight. We're not underestimating him or anything. Um, you know, we just gotta work hard and do it again. Show- show people what I'm capable of.

Joe Rogan 10:51 Now how much changes now that you're the- the champ? Do you have, um... Do you change anything in your camp in- as far as your strength and conditioning, as far as, uh, nutrition or...

Andy Ruiz 11:00 Yeah. Um, long as we have all the team, you know, the stuff that we need. The nutritionist, the chef, uh, the um, the coaches, you know. The- All the- All the stuff that I need to- to win this fight, especially training, you know. That- that's the main thing. Training is the main discipline and- and, um, you know, praying to God.

Joe Rogan 11:18 Now, um, coming into the fight with Joshua the first time, did you have a nutritionist? Did you have a strength and conditioning coach?

Andy Ruiz 11:24 I did.

Joe Rogan 11:24 Like a coach?

Andy Ruiz 11:25 I did have one. Um, the plan was not to lose too much weight, you know, because the guy is really big.

Joe Rogan 11:30 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 11:30 You know, I- I wanted to be heavy so I could carry his weight and, you know, it- it worked for my favor. But I think the main thing that I'm gonna do... I might do a little bit of weights just to tighten up a little bit. Uh, but just stay busy. That's the main thing.

Joe Rogan 11:45 Do you worry about like, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Like there have been guys before that have made changes in the way they prepare and those changes like maybe fuck with their confidence or they didn't feel as good. They didn't- they didn't perform the same way.

Andy Ruiz 11:58 No, I don't think we're gonna be changing too much of- of that stuff. You know, long as we're training, we have the good sparring, just- just exactly what we did for the last fight. I think that's what we're gonna be doing. Just more intense.

Joe Rogan 12:09 Now do you have a guy that monitors your heart rate? Do they- do they take like logs of like what your resting heart rate is when you get up in the morning, and your heart rate variability and all that kinda shit?

Andy Ruiz 12:19 No, they don't- they don't do that.

Joe Rogan 12:21 No?

Andy Ruiz 12:21 I'm kinda just old school, you know.

Joe Rogan 12:22 Old school?

Andy Ruiz 12:22 Old school, you know. Work hard, wake up, run, train, uh...... eat good for, like, four, five days and we have our little cheat meals, you know, but, you know, just, just have a happy camp. You know, this is heavyweight camp, like I tell everybody.

Joe Rogan 12:36 Right.

Andy Ruiz 12:36 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 12:36 Yeah. Heavyweight camp's nice.

Andy Ruiz 12:37 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 12:37 No weight cutting. Now, w- what kind of food they have you eating?

Andy Ruiz 12:41 Um, right now, I'm just, uh, just eating light, you know, um, sandwiches, uh-

Joe Rogan 12:46 Sandwiches?

Andy Ruiz 12:47 ... steaks, yeah. I just ate a sandwich before I came on, so.

Joe Rogan 12:50 Well, the beautiful thing about being a heavyweight is you don't have to worry about your weight. But, it's in terms of optimal performance-

Andy Ruiz 12:56 Mm-hmm. Of course.

Joe Rogan 12:56 Like, when your chef has you in camp-

Andy Ruiz 12:58 Oh, when w-

Joe Rogan 12:59 ... like, what kind of meals they feeding you?

Andy Ruiz 13:00 Um, well everything, chicken, meat, uh, I try not to eat too much meat, you know?

Joe Rogan 13:04 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 13:05 It takes too long to digest. I get constipated, can't shit comfortable.

Joe Rogan 13:09 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 13:10 (laughs) But, um, everything, you know, vegetables, uh, a lot of white rice. They tell, they tell me not to eat too much white rice, but I like white rice.

Joe Rogan 13:19 Now, do they have you taking supplements or anything like that?

Andy Ruiz 13:22 You know what? For this fight, I wasn't taking a lot of supplements. Just multivitamins, um, something to get me through the, the training. Um, yeah, basically.

Joe Rogan 13:32 And what kind of strength and conditioning shit they have you doing? You running, you doing plies?

Andy Ruiz 13:35 Running, sprinting, um, doing explosive stuff, uh, a lot of mitt work, a lot of mitt work. I think that's one of my favorite things at the gym. Sparring, beating people up, and doing mitt work.

Joe Rogan 13:48 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 13:49 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 13:49 Yeah, of course, right? Now, you, you had an extensive amateur career too, man, which is, I think, a, a lot of, like, how you're so well-schooled, you know?

Andy Ruiz 13:58 You know what? That, that helped me a lot, you know? Um, I first started training when I was six years old, and I w-

Joe Rogan 14:04 Wow.

Andy Ruiz 14:04 ... I trained for a whole year, and when I was seven years old, I had my first amateur fight. Um, I was always this big chubby kid where, uh, there wasn't people at my age at that weight. So, I always had to fight bigger guys, you know, older guys. So, my first fight I won, but they gave it to the other guy. At 12 years old, fighting a seven year old, so ... But, I-

Joe Rogan 14:25 You got robbed?

Andy Ruiz 14:26 Uh-huh. I got robbed. I felt I did.

Joe Rogan 14:28 Got robbed your first fight.

Andy Ruiz 14:29 And I, and I have the video too.

Joe Rogan 14:30 Oh, you should put that shit online.

Andy Ruiz 14:32 That's right, yeah. Yeah.

Joe Rogan 14:33 (laughs) Let the internet decide.

Andy Ruiz 14:34 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 14:35 Wow. So, your first fight at seven years old. That's incredible, man. That's ... There's no substitute for that. Guys who get into combat sports young, that's the guys who have what I was talking about that you possess before, that sort of fluidity.

Andy Ruiz 14:47 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 14:47 The efficiency to punches. It's like you're, you develop throwing punches, you know?

Andy Ruiz 14:50 I think it's all muscle memory, it's happe- you know, um, a lot of mitt work and just working hard, man. Working hard. And this is a sport that I love, you know? And I've been doing ... This is the only thing that I know, so thank God that it paid off.

Joe Rogan 15:03 Well, it's just, it's, uh, it's such an amazing story. I love a story like that. It's such a Rocky story, such a Cinderella story.

Andy Ruiz 15:10 A Cinderella? (laughs)

Joe Rogan 15:11 It's amazing.

Andy Ruiz 15:12 Well, yeah, everybody underestimated me. They're, they're just waiting for me to, uh, to get knocked down, and then when they, when they see me get knocked down, they're like, "Oh." And it's crazy that the announcers were, were saying, "Oh, Anthony's a great finisher. Look at how he's gonna finish him." And what do you know, I end up getting him with the, with the hook.

Joe Rogan 15:28 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 15:28 Yeah, it was crazy.

Joe Rogan 15:29 How many times you watch the fight?

Andy Ruiz 15:31 Um, sh- probably, like, 30 times.

Joe Rogan 15:34 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 15:34 30 times. And I still got more-

Joe Rogan 15:36 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 15:36 ... more to see, you know, because when he got me with the uppercut and the hook, um, I was kinda, I was kinda being on a lazy mode, you know? Uh-

Joe Rogan 15:44 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 15:44 ... I think I need to put my geared up more and move the head more.

Joe Rogan 15:48 Well, he's a big powerful motherfucker, but he's an outside fighter. He likes to fight on the outside-

Andy Ruiz 15:53 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 15:53 ... and drop big power punches. And that's where it became apparent that, like, when you're in the dogfight, when you guys are in tight, you have that advantage-

Andy Ruiz 16:01 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 16:01 ... of the fluidity and efficiency and your angles.

Andy Ruiz 16:03 I think it's, I think it's the speed that I kinda messed him up, you know?

Joe Rogan 16:07 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 16:07 And I, I'm not, I'm not just a one, two, three fighter, uh, puncher, you know? I, I try to throw more than, than one or two punches, so ...

Joe Rogan 16:16 No, dude-

Andy Ruiz 16:16 You know?

Joe Rogan 16:16 ... you throw hailstorms.

Andy Ruiz 16:18 Yeah. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 16:18 There's shit coming your way-

Andy Ruiz 16:19 Thank you, man.

Joe Rogan 16:19 ... from all kinds of angles. It's awesome, man. So, you're in this amazing position now. Um, when you're, you're headed into this fight, how long did it take to negotiate the rematch? I'm sure you had-

Andy Ruiz 16:29 Um.

Joe Rogan 16:29 ... some sort of a contract clause, right?

Andy Ruiz 16:30 Yeah, we had a contract clause, uh, which has been going back and forth, you know, with my team and their team, 'cause they, uh-

Joe Rogan 16:37 I heard they were, they were trying to get you to go to England.

Andy Ruiz 16:39 Yeah, but, no, that's not gonna happen.

Joe Rogan 16:40 And you were like, "I wanna see it in America."

Andy Ruiz 16:41 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 16:42 But, there's some ... We don't, we can't say what's happening.

Andy Ruiz 16:44 Happen- I would love to have it back over there at the Madison Square Garden, you know?

Joe Rogan 16:47 Oh, yeah.

Andy Ruiz 16:47 I would love to run it back and fight-

Joe Rogan 16:49 Well, how about the Staples Center, though?

Andy Ruiz 16:50 The Staples Center, that's what I said too in one o- one of the interviews, but ...

Joe Rogan 16:54 Or Vegas?

Andy Ruiz 16:55 Vegas would've been great too.

Joe Rogan 16:57 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 16:57 Right?

Joe Rogan 16:58 It-

Andy Ruiz 16:58 But, wherever it is, it's gonna be an a- an amazing fight, an amazing venue, so ... But tune in, it's, they're, the, the announcement's gonna be in soon.

Joe Rogan 17:05 Now, is this, uh, gonna be on DAZN again?

Andy Ruiz 17:08 On DAZN.

Joe Rogan 17:09 Beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 17:09 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 17:10 Um, it's so nice. You can just watch it on an app, you know?

Andy Ruiz 17:12 Yeah, real quick, real fast.

Joe Rogan 17:13 Watch it on your phone-

Andy Ruiz 17:13 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 17:13 ... watch on a laptop. And, um, when you see the rest of the heavyweight division, I mean, what a crazy exciting time for boxing.

Andy Ruiz 17:21 Well-

Joe Rogan 17:21 Boxing comes in these waves, right?

Andy Ruiz 17:23 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 17:24 Where, like, there's waves of awesome shit happening. Right now's a hot wave. Canelo's hot, you know. Manny just won the title at 40 years old.

Andy Ruiz 17:33 Yes.

Joe Rogan 17:33 You know, Triple G and Canelo, they're talking about having another fight.

Andy Ruiz 17:36 It's gonna happen.

Joe Rogan 17:36 It's so amazing right now.

Andy Ruiz 17:38 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 17:38 It's like boxing is on fire.

Andy Ruiz 17:40 It is, you know. And I'm just blessed being there and in, in the top ten, you know, and having the, the unified heavyweight champions. But, you know, uh, I'm willing to fight anybody. As soon as I, um, win the, the rematch, I'm willing to fight Tyson Fury or Wilder, or anybody, you know? That's all-

Joe Rogan 18:00 Well, listen, there's never been a time that I can recall where there's four legitimate heavyweight champions.

Andy Ruiz 18:06 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 18:06 That everybody thinks of, like, look, Anthony Joshua coulda been the man. You know, Tyson Fury could be the man. Wilder could be the man. You could be the man. Who's the fucking man?

Andy Ruiz 18:16 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 18:17 It's like no one knows. It's not like during the Tyson era. It was like Tyson and everybody else was just s- just waiting to get murked.

Andy Ruiz 18:24 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 18:24 You know? Like, there's been times where there was a standout fighter. But-... when you- when Joshua beat Klitschko, it was apparent that Joshua was the guy. But then as Wilder started piling up bodies, it's like, "Damn, maybe Wilder's the guy." And then Tyson Fury comes back, you know.

Andy Ruiz 18:42 Shake and bake.

Joe Rogan 18:42 And like a lot of people had written Tyson Fury off-

Andy Ruiz 18:44 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 18:44 ... after the Klitschko fight. They were like, "You know, he kind of went crazy, almost committed suicide, had all these mental health problems."

Andy Ruiz 18:51 (sighs)

Joe Rogan 18:51 And now he seems super happy and healthy. And so it's this incredible, incredible time for boxing, where you have like in terms of star power and in terms of like the public interest, I can't recall a time in my life-

Andy Ruiz 19:05 (laughs) .

Joe Rogan 19:05 ... where there's been four dudes who were at the top of the heap like this.

Andy Ruiz 19:09 Mm-hmm. Yeah, uh, Tyson Fury is a good guy too, you know. I love his personality-

Joe Rogan 19:13 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 19:13 ... his energy. And you know what? If I, if, if... Uh, I wanna see that fight again, Wilder and Fury, you know?

Joe Rogan 19:19 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 19:19 I think that was a really good fight. I think it was really close. If Wilder wouldn't have knocked him down in the last round, I think, uh, Tyson Fury was winning in my eyes.

Joe Rogan 19:27 I think so too. And I think you could make an argument that he still won even though he got knocked down twice in the fight.

Andy Ruiz 19:33 Mm-hmm, yeah, and got up.

Joe Rogan 19:34 Yeah, it's still... You can make a good argument that he still won the decision.

Andy Ruiz 19:37 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 19:37 I know a lot of people think he did, but I didn't have a problem with the decision just because... Just-

Andy Ruiz 19:42 Of the, of the action and all of this, huh?

Joe Rogan 19:44 Yeah, and the way Wilder knocked him down in that final round. Like what the fuck?

Andy Ruiz 19:48 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 19:49 How did he get up? That was what was crazy, like when Wilder like threw his, uh, his thumb across his throat and he thought like-

Andy Ruiz 19:55 It's over, huh?

Joe Rogan 19:55 "Fuck, it's over." And he's shaking his hips like he thought it was o- and then Tyson Fury just rises from the dead like a fucking zombie.

Andy Ruiz 20:02 Sh- it's just- it's crazy man in the heavyweight division, you know, and it only takes one punch to change the whole game, the whole, the whole fight, you know, and that's the beauty of it.

Joe Rogan 20:12 It is the beauty of it. Now what is it like, like getting accustomed to all this recognition? Now I know you got this new ice, you got a AR hanging from your neck. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 20:23 Oh yeah. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 20:23 Spending a little of that heavyweight championship money.

Andy Ruiz 20:25 Yeah, I owe a jeweler.

Joe Rogan 20:25 Yeah, man, dude, you're- I mean, it- you've- your whole life has like shifted. Like what does that feel like?

Andy Ruiz 20:31 It- it feels good, you know, just getting the stuff that I always wanted, you know, seeing a lot of famous, uh, people, having nice stuff, you know. And, uh, thanks to God now I could just get it for myself and for my family, for my kids, my mom.

Narrator 20:44 (instrumental music)

Joe Rogan 20:44 What kind of car are you driving now?

Andy Ruiz 20:46 Um, I have a Rolls-Royce outside.

Joe Rogan 20:49 Ooh.

Andy Ruiz 20:50 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 20:50 Dude, you stepped right up.

Andy Ruiz 20:52 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 20:52 You didn't even fuck around. You didn't even try a BMW first.

Andy Ruiz 20:55 (laughs) No, I already had that before.

Joe Rogan 20:57 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 20:58 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 20:58 What were you driving before you won the title?

Andy Ruiz 21:00 Um, I had a Porsche, I had a Porsche Panamera.

Joe Rogan 21:02 Oh, those are nice.

Andy Ruiz 21:03 Yeah, they're-

Joe Rogan 21:03 But it's not a Rolls-Royce.

Andy Ruiz 21:04 No.

Joe Rogan 21:05 Rolls-Royce is a king car.

Andy Ruiz 21:06 You know what? The, the car that I love right now and I bought for my, for my fiancee, Julie, uh, it's the new G Wagons, the 2019s.

Joe Rogan 21:14 Yeah, man.

Andy Ruiz 21:14 It's so beautiful, man, inside.

Joe Rogan 21:15 Those are the shit. Yeah, my wife has one of those.

Andy Ruiz 21:17 So beautiful, yeah.

Joe Rogan 21:18 They're the shit.

Andy Ruiz 21:18 She's lucky.

Joe Rogan 21:19 Those are dope, man. It's a crazy car.

Andy Ruiz 21:21 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 21:21 It's- they, they redesigned it. They made it so that the old ones, they had like, uh, that old truck suspension-

Andy Ruiz 21:28 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 21:29 ... with the live rear and front axles, and it was kind of bumpy and shit. The newest-

Andy Ruiz 21:32 I love it, man. When you move it, when the car moves, the- like the seats hug you.

Joe Rogan 21:36 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 21:37 I love that.

Joe Rogan 21:37 Yeah. It's a tank too.

Andy Ruiz 21:39 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 21:39 Those doors weigh 1,000 pounds. It's crazy. When you shut those things, it's like a bank vault.

Andy Ruiz 21:43 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 21:44 You know?

Andy Ruiz 21:44 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 21:45 But there's something about a Rolls-Royce, man. That's like a suitable car for a champ, you know. You run around in a Rolls-Royce.

Andy Ruiz 21:50 That's my dream car, man, my dream car. I even had pictures before I was even any, nothing. I used to have pictures on my, on my, on my wall of, of all the cars that I wanted, a Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, you know, just dreaming big.

Joe Rogan 22:03 Right.

Andy Ruiz 22:03 And that's what I tell a lot of these kids, man. Just dream big. Have, have, um... Write something that, that you want in life and just keep, keep praying for it, you know, keep wishing for it and, and it, it will come true if you work hard.

Joe Rogan 22:15 Yeah, if you work hard. Some people just wanna wish.

Andy Ruiz 22:17 No, yeah.

Joe Rogan 22:18 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 22:18 You have to work hard.

Joe Rogan 22:19 There's a lot of shit involved, right?

Andy Ruiz 22:20 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 22:21 Do you use any sort of a sports psychologist or anything like that?

Andy Ruiz 22:25 Um, no, not really.

Joe Rogan 22:27 No?

Andy Ruiz 22:27 No, just motivation, my kids, uh, um, you know, just a person that wants to do better is gonna do better.

Joe Rogan 22:36 Right. And the- so when you are preparing for a fight, do you, um, do you ever have moments where you, you know, you'll, you'll find yourself feeling down or you find yourself not in a good mental place?

Andy Ruiz 22:50 Yeah, there's- yeah, there's a lot of times like that, you know, because I'm missing home. I'm like, "Man, I wanna go with my kids, I wanna go with my girl. Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm mad, man, I haven't, I haven't fucked or nothing so I'm fucking angry and..." Um, you know, stuff like that. That's what a lot of boxers go through, you know, because this is a lonely sport, you know. This is a one-man sport and, you know, you gotta do everything on your own. And not on your own, but when you go to the gym you have your team. But you just, after the gym is, is what you do, you know.

Joe Rogan 23:20 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 23:20 I usually just rest, watch movies, um, try to get a show, find a show, just relax.

Joe Rogan 23:26 Just chill out.

Andy Ruiz 23:27 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 23:27 Do you, uh, get regular massage or anything?

Andy Ruiz 23:29 Yep, I get massages, um, from AR Therapy, uh, from LA. Uh, he hooks it up like every... I probably- when I'm in camp, I would get one like two, two times a week, three times.

Joe Rogan 23:41 So basically it's normal stuff, just normal strength and conditioning, food, tr-

Andy Ruiz 23:45 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 23:46 It's the grind of camp is something that boxers always complain about that's like the one thing...

Andy Ruiz 23:51 It's so hard.

Joe Rogan 23:51 It's just the day in, day out just hard work constantly.

Andy Ruiz 23:56 You know what sucks for, for a lot of the fighters too is going in there and, you know, your coach wants to weigh you after training-

Joe Rogan 24:04 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 24:04 ... every fucking time. And you're like, "Man." And it's crazy, but you know, just working hard, it's, it's, it's- everything's gonna pay off.

Joe Rogan 24:13 What do they like to keep at? Like what weight do they like to keep you at?

Andy Ruiz 24:15 Um, I think like at 255, 250.

Joe Rogan 24:18 That's where you feel like you're at your best?

Andy Ruiz 24:20 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 24:20 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 24:20 I'm at my best at 255, 250. But I gained to- what did I weigh, like 267 for Joshua?

Joe Rogan 24:28 Really?

Andy Ruiz 24:28 Uh-huh.

Joe Rogan 24:28 On purpose just because he's so big?

Andy Ruiz 24:30 Uh-huh. Yeah.... that kind of worked out a little bit.

Joe Rogan 24:32 Yeah, it definitely worked out.

Andy Ruiz 24:34 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 24:34 Now, what did you do differently?

Andy Ruiz 24:35 Um, nothing.

Joe Rogan 24:36 More quesadillas?

Andy Ruiz 24:37 It, it... No. It was, A, good.

Joe Rogan 24:39 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 24:39 Just, uh, more portion, you know?

Joe Rogan 24:41 Oh, okay.

Andy Ruiz 24:41 A little bit more portion. And I was just happy through all this camp, you know. I was just focused, motivated. Uh, I kept telling everybody that I'm gonna win, that I'm gonna pull out the upset. And, you know, just having those good vibes inside you, uh, and a fun camp, you know.

Joe Rogan 24:57 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 24:57 It was fun. I, I enjoyed the camp a lot.

Joe Rogan 24:59 The only thing that people worry about when someone finds success, and, you know, obviously Tyson is the best example of it because he's documented in his documentary and he talks about it all the time-

Andy Ruiz 25:10 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 25:10 ... was how things got out of control once he became famous.

Andy Ruiz 25:14 Yes.

Joe Rogan 25:15 How things just went off the rails and he just lost his fucking mind. How do, how do you prevent that from happening-

Andy Ruiz 25:21 Um.

Joe Rogan 25:21 ... to Andy Ruiz?

Andy Ruiz 25:22 I think just having the right people around you, you know. Having the right people around you that wanna do good and want you to do good, you know. Um, bring you good opportunities, you know, stuff like that. And, you know, I'm a, I'm a family man. I'm always with my kids, with my fiancee. So, um, that's one of the big blessings that I have. And if that would've happened, I think my dad will grab me by the throat, like, "What the fuck are you doing?"

Joe Rogan 25:46 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 25:47 He's always on me, so it's good.

Joe Rogan 25:48 But you seem like a real down-to-earth guy, which helps a lot.

Andy Ruiz 25:51 Yeah, thank you. Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 25:52 You know, I mean, that, that really does. It's the, the dudes that have feeling... Like, sometimes the ego is what gets you to the dance, because you believe you are the m- the baddest motherfucker of all time. But then once you are there and the challenge is met, then there's no other challenges in front of you, like with Tyson.

Andy Ruiz 26:10 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 26:11 And each fight is kind of like a done deal before it happens, and you just start getting Tigers and doing crazy shit.

Andy Ruiz 26:17 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 26:17 You know what I mean?

Andy Ruiz 26:18 Wrestling with Tigers, you know that?

Joe Rogan 26:19 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 26:20 No, I, um... I think the main thing is just to remain humble, you know. Um, I, um, I was praying for this opportunity for so long, so I'm still gonna continue to keep praying and thanking God for all these big blessings that he gave me. And, you know, just continue to work hard and enjoy my family to the fullest.

Joe Rogan 26:38 And you got a good crew of dudes with you, too. You can tell.

Andy Ruiz 26:40 I know. That's, you're saying that's the biggest entourage that I had.

Joe Rogan 26:43 (laughs) The biggest-

Andy Ruiz 26:43 And I never, I never rode-

Joe Rogan 26:45 ... the biggest entourage anybody's ever brought in here.

Andy Ruiz 26:46 Yeah. I never rode with a lot of entourage, you know.

Joe Rogan 26:48 Really?

Andy Ruiz 26:48 Just, just with a few of my best friends, you know. Friends, close friends that were from high school and some of my cousins and...

Joe Rogan 26:55 That's awesome.

Andy Ruiz 26:55 Stuff like that. Just family.

Joe Rogan 26:56 Yeah, people who know you-

Andy Ruiz 26:57 Exactly.

Joe Rogan 26:58 ... who actually know you from the beginning.

Andy Ruiz 26:59 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 26:59 Now, um, this newfound celebrity, like, are, are they, are they giving you, like... There's other distractions that come your way, like, like movie-type offers and television shit. And-

Andy Ruiz 27:10 You know what? I did my first commercial, uh, for Suero X. It was an, an, uh, it's a Mexico brand.

Joe Rogan 27:16 For what? What is it?

Andy Ruiz 27:17 Suero X.

Joe Rogan 27:18 Suero X?

Andy Ruiz 27:19 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 27:19 What is it?

Andy Ruiz 27:19 Suero X. It's a, it's a drink, you know, like, uh, like Pedialyte.

Joe Rogan 27:23 Oh, okay.

Andy Ruiz 27:24 But it's a Mexican version. And it was fun, man. It was really fun. Uh, I love doing commercials.

Joe Rogan 27:30 Have you been to Mexico since you won?

Andy Ruiz 27:32 I have. Remember, I met the President of Mexico. I went to Los Pinos.

Joe Rogan 27:36 Oh.

Andy Ruiz 27:36 And that was amazing, man. Um, Andrés López, he's the president for, for Mexico. Amazing guy.

Joe Rogan 27:42 Is it wild being in Mexico as the first ever (clears throat) Mexican heavyweight champion?

Andy Ruiz 27:46 It was super wild. So many, so many fans, you know, um, little kids, uh, uh, all types of sort of people coming my way. And it, it is just crazy how, how they react, you know.

Joe Rogan 27:59 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 27:59 How they react. They're screaming. Like, it's, it's crazy, man.

Joe Rogan 28:03 That must, must be the, the wildest thing about this, is the shift in how people perceive you versus just a few months ago.

Andy Ruiz 28:10 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 28:10 And now, like, you're the fucking man.

Andy Ruiz 28:15 It's...

Joe Rogan 28:15 (laughs) It's weird, right?

Andy Ruiz 28:16 I know. It's crazy.

Joe Rogan 28:17 Does it mean... What, what, what goes on in your head while all this is happening?

Andy Ruiz 28:21 Um, that this is just the beginning, you know. This is just the beginning. And, you know, I don't wanna, I don't wanna lose the title, so the main thing, I just gotta stay focused and get prepared for the rematch, you know, 'cause there's more work to be done. So... And, um, you know, I, I wanna be the Mexican Rocky, so I wanna continue to keep winning and defending all my titles.

Joe Rogan 28:43 That's beautiful. Now, Joshua is the first fight. And so this will take place in December. And given if you win, what would you like to... Who would you like to face next? 'Cause it looks like it's gonna be a while before they could sort out Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

Andy Ruiz 28:58 Mm-hmm. Um...

Joe Rogan 28:59 Because of contractual shit.

Andy Ruiz 29:01 Uh, when I win and, and ƒ°C osquede win, uh, for the rematch, uh, I would love to fight Tyson Fury, man. Tyson Fury. I know Wilder, uh, Wilder's there too. He has the belt that, that I want, you know.

Joe Rogan 29:13 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 29:14 'Cause I want the WBC belt.

Joe Rogan 29:15 Why do you want that belt?

Andy Ruiz 29:17 Because I'll be undisputed if I have that belt, you know. I'll have all the belts, um, in the heavyweight division, and I'll, I'll be the, the new king. Um-

Joe Rogan 29:25 So what do you, what do you have now? You have WBA...

Andy Ruiz 29:27 I have the WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF.

Joe Rogan 29:32 Damn.

Andy Ruiz 29:33 I know.

Joe Rogan 29:34 Damn.

Andy Ruiz 29:35 It's crazy. I should've brought them too, man.

Joe Rogan 29:37 You should've. Do you wa- Do you, do you have them laid out on your bed?

Andy Ruiz 29:39 No, they're actually in my, in my dad's house.

Joe Rogan 29:42 (laughs) Wow.

Andy Ruiz 29:42 They're actually right there in my dad's house.

Joe Rogan 29:44 Must be bizarre just looking at them, right?

Andy Ruiz 29:46 They are, man. It's... I was crying, man. Like I said, I was still pinching myself for, for weeks.

Joe Rogan 29:52 I can only imagine.

Andy Ruiz 29:53 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 29:54 I would imagine it's gonna last years-

Andy Ruiz 29:56 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 29:56 ... before it really, really sinks in. So, uh, Tyson Fury seems, to you, to be, like, the, the best matchup after that?

Andy Ruiz 30:03 Tyson Fury, I think he's, he's one of the biggest names out there, you know.

Joe Rogan 30:07 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 30:08 Um, I, I like Dyl- Dylan White. So, you know, he was coming up.

Joe Rogan 30:11 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 30:11 But...Um, he got caught up with-

Joe Rogan 30:13 He pissed off.

Andy Ruiz 30:13 He did.

Joe Rogan 30:14 Yeah. What'd he ke- what'd he get caught with?

Andy Ruiz 30:15 I don't know. I think it was PED or something.

Joe Rogan 30:18 Some sort of performance-enhancing drug.

Andy Ruiz 30:19 I don't know why they do that. Why?

Joe Rogan 30:21 (coughing) Oh, I know why.

Andy Ruiz 30:22 For what?

Joe Rogan 30:22 I know why. They wanna win.

Andy Ruiz 30:23 Shit, uh, you don't need it, man. Look at me, I, um-

Joe Rogan 30:26 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 30:27 ... It do- it doesn't look like if I take anything, you know? It's just-

Joe Rogan 30:29 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 30:30 ... all natural.

Joe Rogan 30:31 Well, you're consistent and, eh, even though you, you carry body fat, you're always in great shape. You know, you never have a problem with fatigue in your fights.

Andy Ruiz 30:38 I have a six-pack under my abs, under my belly.

Joe Rogan 30:41 It's in there. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 30:42 You know, it's in there somewhere.

Joe Rogan 30:43 Yeah, I mean, that's deceptive, you know. There's, uh, quite a few fighters like that, that you look at them on the outside and you can get real confused.

Andy Ruiz 30:50 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 30:50 You know? But you have always been consistent. Like, you had a consistent amateur career, a consistent-

Andy Ruiz 30:55 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 30:55 ... professional career. Some fighters, just, like, they ... maybe they just feel like they need something else, you know? They just don't feel like they're doing enough and they wanna, they want a shortcut, you know?

Andy Ruiz 31:06 Yeah, I don't know.

Joe Rogan 31:06 It's usually, it's usually a bad sign.

Andy Ruiz 31:08 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 31:09 You know? And in today's climate, it's ... Look, there's, there's WADA testing and there's, like-

Andy Ruiz 31:15 They're the best, you know.

Joe Rogan 31:16 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 31:16 That was my first time getting tested by WADA and they're fucking strict, man.

Joe Rogan 31:20 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 31:20 They go ... They, they'll go look for you wherever you're at, at your house, at the gym, anywhere. And, um, they take blood out, piss out. I, I liked it.

Joe Rogan 31:30 Yes, um, I think it's the best way and USADA is what works with the UFC, very similar.

Andy Ruiz 31:36 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 31:36 Same sort of deal.

Andy Ruiz 31:37 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 31:37 They wake you up 6:00 in the morning, "Hey, buddy."

Andy Ruiz 31:39 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 31:40 (clears throat) "Time to find out what's up."

Andy Ruiz 31:41 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 31:41 You know, and they've caught a lot of people that way.

Andy Ruiz 31:43 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 31:43 They've caught a lot of people and it's great. It cleans up the sport, you know? I mean, this, uh, this is a dangerous, dangerous sport.

Andy Ruiz 31:51 It is.

Joe Rogan 31:51 And th- when people are taking things, they, there's a potential that they could hit you when they wouldn't be able to hit you without it. And I mean, this is, uh, something that we all want to avoid. We all wanna avoid anything that could pote- I mean, it's already a dangerous enough sport without-

Andy Ruiz 32:05 Exactly.

Joe Rogan 32:05 ... performance-enhancing drugs.

Andy Ruiz 32:05 They're already trying to kill each other and all that.

Joe Rogan 32:08 Yeah. Yeah, so Dillian Whyte is ... I mean, what, how long they suspended him for?

Andy Ruiz 32:11 Um, I'm not sure. I seen it on Instagram, but, you know, things happen, but, you know, hopefully he gets clean and ... Or, or we, we don't know what really happened, you know?

Joe Rogan 32:21 Right.

Andy Ruiz 32:21 Maybe it was the team's side that put something in it or we don't know.

Joe Rogan 32:26 Yeah, it could be pr- wh- we, we catch this a lot with the UFC, where guys buy a supplement at, like, a vitamin store and, uh, it's tainted.

Andy Ruiz 32:33 Or even, like, a diet one, huh? They-

Joe Rogan 32:35 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 32:35 ... they ban that, too.

Joe Rogan 32:37 Yeah, yeah, anything that has, like, a diuretic or things along those lines. Yeah, it's, uh, it's a shame, but, you know, it, if y- if they're not using WADA testing and they get caught, then they're just dumb.

Andy Ruiz 32:49 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 32:49 'Cause then, then it means that-

Andy Ruiz 32:51 That's why, that's why it's kinda scary, you know, fighting over there at the UK. We don't know what they're gonna be letting, uh, Anthony Joshua be taking or whatnot or, I don't know, but, uh ...

Joe Rogan 33:00 You think he takes some shit?

Andy Ruiz 33:02 I don't know to tell you the truth.

Joe Rogan 33:02 Tell you what, he looks like he does.

Andy Ruiz 33:03 He does, huh?

Joe Rogan 33:04 He looks perfect.

Andy Ruiz 33:05 He looks like it, but ...

Joe Rogan 33:06 (coughs) It looks like what you would think a movie fighter would look like. You know?

Andy Ruiz 33:09 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 33:09 Like, he's, he's just ... He- he's built perfect. Like, he's got a perfect body. Like, you wouldn't wanna change anything.

Andy Ruiz 33:15 No.

Joe Rogan 33:15 You know, like if you were making a sculpture, you're like, "Damn, he's perfect."

Andy Ruiz 33:18 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 33:18 "You nailed it."

Andy Ruiz 33:19 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 33:20 You know? But that ... I don't know if that's natural.

Andy Ruiz 33:23 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 33:23 What do you think?

Andy Ruiz 33:25 I don't know. If he took something, you know, it didn't work and if he-

Joe Rogan 33:30 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 33:30 ... if he, if he doesn't wor- if he doesn't use it for the next fight, I don't know, who knows how the body's gonna react or-

Joe Rogan 33:35 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 33:35 ... if he doesn't have it, so ... Or maybe, um, it reacted wrong when he wasn't using it when I fought him or-

Joe Rogan 33:41 That's possible.

Andy Ruiz 33:42 ... who knows?

Joe Rogan 33:43 That's definitely happened before.

Andy Ruiz 33:44 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 33:44 That's definitely happened before.

Andy Ruiz 33:46 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 33:46 You know, you've seen fighters that look different because of stricter testing and then they don't perform the same way.

Andy Ruiz 33:52 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 33:52 They have, like, real pro- And then, also, it's confidence. If you know you've been cheating and then all of a sudden they take away your secret weapon and then you just r- You're like, "I'm fine. I'm fine." But you, you know, there's a little lingering doubt.

Andy Ruiz 34:03 (laughs) Yeah.

Joe Rogan 34:04 So are you worried about that, if a fight, if the fight takes place in the UK?

Andy Ruiz 34:07 Uh, you know, somewhat, but it, it's not gonna be over there, so there is no-

Joe Rogan 34:11 He's never tested positive before, right?

Andy Ruiz 34:13 He's never have, so ...

Joe Rogan 34:15 You just gave up the ghost.

Andy Ruiz 34:15 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 34:15 You said it's not gonna be over there.

Andy Ruiz 34:17 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 34:17 So now it's, people have narrowed it down.

Andy Ruiz 34:19 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 34:19 There's 197 countries, now we know it's not gonna be in England.

Andy Ruiz 34:22 No, guess not.

Joe Rogan 34:23 Okay, 196.

Andy Ruiz 34:24 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 34:24 (laughs) Yeah, it's, uh-

Andy Ruiz 34:28 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 34:29 ... c- in combat sports, I mean, it's always been a problem with the performance-enhancing drugs, you know?

Andy Ruiz 34:33 Yeah, everybody's been using it, uh. A lot of champions, you know, from the heavyweight division, too, a lot of-

Joe Rogan 34:38 Sure.

Andy Ruiz 34:39 ... a lot of people.

Joe Rogan 34:40 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 34:41 Uh, but I don't know. Uh, I don't wanna try it. I don't wanna get caught up.

Joe Rogan 34:45 Well, it's, it's beautiful that you, you haven't had it and you can take pride that everything that you've accomplished is from hard work and intelligence, you know?

Andy Ruiz 34:52 Yeah, I'm sure of that.

Joe Rogan 34:53 So when you look at the landscape of boxing, I mean, right now, um, what fights are exciting for you?

Andy Ruiz 35:00 Um, I wanna see the Pacquiao and, uh, what's his name? Oh.

Joe Rogan 35:05 Thurman?

Andy Ruiz 35:06 No, uh ... Um, damn, what was it? Uh, the guy that fought, uh, Manny, um, Mikey Garcia.

Joe Rogan 35:17 Oh, Errol Spence?

Andy Ruiz 35:18 Errol Spence, there you go.

Joe Rogan 35:19 Yes, Errol Spence Jr.

Andy Ruiz 35:20 Yeah, I like him. He's a bad-

Joe Rogan 35:20 He's a bad motherfucker.

Andy Ruiz 35:21 Yeah, he is.

Joe Rogan 35:21 Whoosh. Yeah. And to shut down Garcia like that, Garcia is a bad motherfucker.

Andy Ruiz 35:26 Mm-hmm. He was.

Joe Rogan 35:26 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 35:26 I was over there in Vegas with him.

Joe Rogan 35:28 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 35:28 That was funny.

Joe Rogan 35:29 Well, when Garcia ... Look, I, I give it up to Garcia 'cause after that fight, it's like, "That guy's the truth."

Andy Ruiz 35:33 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 35:33 "That guy's the real deal."

Andy Ruiz 35:35 He is.

Joe Rogan 35:35 And, you know, uh, that's beautiful when a guy doesn't make excuses and says-

Andy Ruiz 35:38 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 35:38 ... "Hey, man, that guy is ..." He's ... Everybody knew Errol Spence is a bad motherfucker, though.

Andy Ruiz 35:43 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 35:43 I mean, there was no surprise, it was just-

Andy Ruiz 35:44 I think once, once you have him fight, like, the really elite fighters, I think-

Joe Rogan 35:48 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 35:48 ... that's when all his talents is in a show.

Joe Rogan 35:50 Oh, sure. Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 35:51 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 35:51 I mean, it's such a great time for boxing.

Andy Ruiz 35:54 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 35:54 But Errol Spence Jr. Versus Manny Pacquiao would be incredible.

Andy Ruiz 35:57 Yeah, they're working on it. Well-

Joe Rogan 35:58 Is that what they're working on?

Andy Ruiz 35:59 Hopefully.

Joe Rogan 35:59 I thought they were working on a rematch with Thurman.

Andy Ruiz 36:01 Uh, I don't think so.

Joe Rogan 36:02 No?

Andy Ruiz 36:03 I don't ... No. Who wants to see that? Manny Pacquiao-

Joe Rogan 36:05 Who wants to see that? I wanna s- ... You don't wanna see it?

Andy Ruiz 36:07 Yeah. Right ... I think Pacquiao beat his ass.

Joe Rogan 36:09 You think so?

Andy Ruiz 36:09 It was quick, yeah.

Joe Rogan 36:10 Yeah? It was crazy when he knocked him down in the first round. I was like, "Wow."

Andy Ruiz 36:13 Yeah. I think he got too confident. I think Manny Pacquiao got too confident and he got hit with punches that he shouldn't have, you know, and ... I don't know, I think Thurman was just surviving the whole time. But either way, he was connecting really good shots.

Joe Rogan 36:25 He connected with good shots.

Andy Ruiz 36:26 Yeah, he sure did.

Joe Rogan 36:26 I mean, and he hits hard. The crazy thing is, Manny is the oldest ever guy to win the Welterweight title.

Andy Ruiz 36:32 Fuck, man. Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 36:32 40 years old. He's won titles in how many different weight classes now? It's more than eight.

Andy Ruiz 36:37 It's like 12, I don't know.

Joe Rogan 36:39 It's something. But it's like d- ... Eight d- ... More than eight different weight classes, which is nuts.

Andy Ruiz 36:44 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 36:44 Like, who the fuck does that? And then maintains his power all the way through.

Andy Ruiz 36:48 He just takes care of himself, you know?

Joe Rogan 36:50 Amazing.

Andy Ruiz 36:51 Dieting on white rice. Something. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 36:53 That's hard to do.

Andy Ruiz 36:53 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 36:53 Whatever they do in the Philippines.

Andy Ruiz 36:54 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 36:54 It's, uh, it's amazing. But, um, yeah, that's a great fight. Um, and then there's Mayweather who shows up at that fight and st- talking shit and ...

Andy Ruiz 37:01 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 37:02 I think-

Andy Ruiz 37:03 I think that would be a good fight too, against Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather. I, I'll watch it.

Joe Rogan 37:07 Apparently, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov-

Andy Ruiz 37:10 That's what they want.

Joe Rogan 37:10 Khabib Nurmagomedov is the UFC lightweight champion.

Andy Ruiz 37:12 Oh, Khabib.

Joe Rogan 37:12 Bad Russian motherfucker. He's, um, he's saying that m- that Floyd Mayweather's people have been trying to get him to box him.

Andy Ruiz 37:19 What? That's crazy.

Joe Rogan 37:20 While Floyd may have made that easy money off Conor McGregor.

Andy Ruiz 37:23 T- S- ... That's crazy.

Joe Rogan 37:24 He probably thinks-

Andy Ruiz 37:25 I like Conor McGregor too.

Joe Rogan 37:25 I do too.

Andy Ruiz 37:26 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 37:27 I mean, it was, uh, a crazy f- ... Well, Floyd played that perfectly too. He only gave Conor, like, six weeks to prepare, you know?

Andy Ruiz 37:33 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 37:33 He, uh, you know, he took the lion's share of the money, but gave Conor a shitload. He made a lot of money off that fight.

Andy Ruiz 37:39 Yeah, Mayweather's a smart man. And like I said, having the right people with you and that, that give you good opportunities. Those, those are the right people you want a- around you.

Joe Rogan 37:49 Now, when you were coming up, um, who, who were you influenced by? Like, who were you a big fan of?

Andy Ruiz 37:54 Um, of Chavez. You know, all the Mexican fighters, Morales, Barrera. I got to meet, um, uh, Barrera. It was my first time. It was a good honor, over at the Pacquiao fight. Uh, you know, Mike Tyson, um, you know, all the, all the big guys. All the Mexican guys as well too.

Joe Rogan 38:13 Yeah, um, so, you're 29. So when you were ... When you first started out, who, who was, uh, who was big?

Andy Ruiz 38:19 Fernando Vargas. He was my favorite fighter, man.

Joe Rogan 38:22 Oh, right.

Andy Ruiz 38:22 Fernando Vargas.

Joe Rogan 38:23 I hung out with Fernando on a plane once.

Andy Ruiz 38:25 A lot of good shit.

Joe Rogan 38:25 Yeah, me too.

Andy Ruiz 38:26 I used to have the, the same haircut as him. My, my-

Joe Rogan 38:28 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 38:28 I, I painted my, my hair. It follows crazy.

Joe Rogan 38:31 Yeah, no. He was a bad motherfucker. He was a lot of fun to watch.

Andy Ruiz 38:34 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 38:34 Didn't he ... He had some reality show he was doing for a while too, right?

Andy Ruiz 38:38 Yeah, he was doing it with him and his family.

Joe Rogan 38:39 What is he doing now? Do you know?

Andy Ruiz 38:41 Um, he's training fighters.

Joe Rogan 38:42 Oh, is he?

Andy Ruiz 38:42 And, and his kids too. They're really talented. Um-

Joe Rogan 38:45 Where at?

Andy Ruiz 38:46 In Vegas.

Joe Rogan 38:46 Oh, okay.

Andy Ruiz 38:47 They're in Vegas, yeah.

Joe Rogan 38:48 Nice, nice.

Andy Ruiz 38:49 Really ... Uh, really good people. Nice guys.

Joe Rogan 38:52 Um, Oscar De La Hoya. Are you a fan of his?

Andy Ruiz 38:54 Yeah, Oscar De La Hoya too. Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 38:55 Yeah. There's, uh, I mean, there's so many great Mexican fighters. If you think about one country that produced amazing boxers, I mean, Mexico might be the top of the heap.

Andy Ruiz 39:04 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 39:05 I mean, if you really stop to think about it.

Andy Ruiz 39:07 All the ... I think, um, I think we're missing one champion. I think we have champions in all the divisions, except for one, I think.

Joe Rogan 39:13 Light heavyweight, maybe?

Andy Ruiz 39:14 Uh, probably.

Joe Rogan 39:15 Cruiserweight?

Andy Ruiz 39:15 A cruiserweight.

Joe Rogan 39:16 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 39:16 I think, I think so. But you know what? At least we got the first Mexican heavyweight champion.

Joe Rogan 39:21 Yeah. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 39:22 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 39:22 How's that feel, man? Does it feel crazy?

Andy Ruiz 39:24 Ah, it feels good, you know?

Joe Rogan 39:25 Just say it.

Andy Ruiz 39:26 It just ... By saying I'm gonna be, um, in, in the records, you know?

Joe Rogan 39:29 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 39:30 Um, hopefully nobody forgets my name. But, you know, there's always gonna be the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world, especially for my kids, you know, for them to look up and be like, "Wow, yeah-"

Joe Rogan 39:39 Forever.

Andy Ruiz 39:39 "... my daddy can kick your daddy's ass."

Joe Rogan 39:42 For no one ever take that away. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 39:42 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 39:43 It'd be number one. I mean, you're the first ever. There's no one ever can take that from you.

Andy Ruiz 39:47 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 39:47 That's it, forever.

Andy Ruiz 39:48 It's a blessing, man. It's ...

Joe Rogan 39:49 You're in the books.

Andy Ruiz 39:49 It's what I've been working for for so long, you know. My dad pushing me, embarrassing me with my friends. Um, sh- ... Man, it's f-

Joe Rogan 39:56 How did he embarrass you?

Andy Ruiz 39:58 Just by kicking me out, by, like, telling me, "Come on, we have to go train. Get the fuck out of there."

Joe Rogan 40:02 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 40:04 And ... I don't know. It was, it was crazy, man. My dad's always been there behind me. So, I don't think I woulda been in this position if he wasn't in the role of all this.

Joe Rogan 40:12 Is your dad a boxer?

Andy Ruiz 40:13 No, but his dad used to f- ... uh, train fighters in Mexicali.

Joe Rogan 40:17 Oh.

Andy Ruiz 40:18 A long time ago. I never got to meet him, but ...

Joe Rogan 40:20 And he never boxed himself?

Andy Ruiz 40:22 Um, no.

Joe Rogan 40:22 Did-

Andy Ruiz 40:22 He was just in the streets.

Joe Rogan 40:24 Did he train?

Andy Ruiz 40:25 No. He would just see ... He would just see his, his dad train the other guys. I didn't think he had the discipline. I think he was, he was more like a hustler-

Joe Rogan 40:32 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 40:32 ... basically.

Joe Rogan 40:33 So, what was his thought when you first started fighting?

Andy Ruiz 40:38 Well, he's the one who put me into it because-

Joe Rogan 40:40 Really?

Andy Ruiz 40:40 Yeah, because, um, I used to ... The Destroyer. I used to destroy everything, all the, the toys, uh-

Joe Rogan 40:46 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 40:46 ... my mom's stuff, everything. So, I had so much energy as a little kid. He just took me to af- ... My first thing was karate. I tried karate. I was six years old. Didn't like it. It took too long for action or, or whatnot, and he put me into boxing. I was six years old. And what do you know? I fell in love with the sport.

Joe Rogan 41:05 So, what do you mean by it take, took too long for action?

Andy Ruiz 41:08 Um, I think we were practicing too much or something.

Joe Rogan 41:11 Oh, like katas and shit like that?

Andy Ruiz 41:13 Yeah, I think so.

Joe Rogan 41:13 Kicking in the air.

Andy Ruiz 41:14 And the first two weeks when I went to a boxing gym, they made me spar and they kicked, kicked the shit out of me, man. They beat me up. I didn't-

Joe Rogan 41:21 What are you were seven?

Andy Ruiz 41:22 I was ... No, I was six and a half. You remember? 'Cause I trained a whole year until I turned-

Joe Rogan 41:26 Right.

Andy Ruiz 41:27 Um, they beat me up. They put me to spar in my first time and I was bleeding.

Joe Rogan 41:30 Wow.

Andy Ruiz 41:30 And I told my dad, "You know what? I don't wanna fight no more." Like, he's like, "What do you mean? You just gotta keep training and you're gonna end up beating everyone up." And what do you know? A year later, I ended up beating everyone up.

Joe Rogan 41:40 So, your nickname came from you fucking things up as a kid?

Andy Ruiz 41:43 From fucking things up. Destroying things.

Joe Rogan 41:46 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 41:46 I could never have a toy or, or, or even like a, the Game Boy or, or anything for like, more than a week or something, 'cause I would end up breaking it.

Joe Rogan 41:55 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 41:55 It's crazy.

Joe Rogan 41:56 So, did your parents give you that nickname?

Andy Ruiz 41:57 Yeah, they gave me that nickname.

Joe Rogan 41:58 That's hilarious.

Andy Ruiz 41:59 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 42:00 That's ... What a great nickname then.

Andy Ruiz 42:02 El Destroyer.

Joe Rogan 42:02 Because it seems like a tough guy nickname, but then when you find out it's because you were a little kid and you would break your toys-

Andy Ruiz 42:07 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 42:07 ... that makes it even better.

Andy Ruiz 42:09 Every ... Not just toys, but everything. Glasses, uh ...... I don't know, it was crazy.

Joe Rogan 42:14 So, it must be wild for your dad to see you come up from a six-year-old kid and, you know, a- because of his pushing you-

Andy Ruiz 42:22 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 42:22 ... and trying to keep you in there, that you eventually start excelling and winning amateur fight after amateur fight. And then-

Andy Ruiz 42:28 No, he's really happy, man. He's really happy. And, um, (smacks lips) uh, like I said, he's really happy, he's really blessed. He's over here and over there, just enjoying life as well.

Joe Rogan 42:40 Now, when you were coming up, did- was there a fighter whose style you tried to emulate? Was there anyone that, like, really stood out for you?

Andy Ruiz 42:46 You know, I sparred a lot of guys and they all- all of them tell me that I have a- my own type of style, you know? They tell me that I have a- a calm, different style than- than everyone else. And, you know, I kind of- I like that.

Joe Rogan 42:58 Well, that is one of the beautiful things about boxing and all martial arts. Like, there's a lot of people that don't like that term martial arts, 'cause they don't think it's really an art.

Andy Ruiz 43:07 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 43:08 But it is an art. I-

Andy Ruiz 43:08 But I think it's harder, man. Shit, from being on the ground and fighting up, it's- it's a lot of things you have to learn.

Joe Rogan 43:15 Oh, for mixed martial arts? Yeah, but I mean even boxing is a martial art. And what I mean is that, like the way you knocked out Joshua, that was beautiful. It was beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 43:24 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 43:24 For a per- a person like me who loves boxing, it was art. Like you-

Andy Ruiz 43:29 Thanks, man.

Joe Rogan 43:29 ... expressed yourself in art.

Andy Ruiz 43:31 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 43:31 I mean, that's no different than a badass movie or a rap song or a symphony. It's art.

Andy Ruiz 43:38 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 43:38 It's just art with your fists. And-

Andy Ruiz 43:41 You know?

Joe Rogan 43:41 ... you know, I mean, you saw... I'm sure you saw that video that I posted up on my Instagram. Who was the guy that made that video? That- that- the video where he hits Joshua and Josh's soul leaves his body? Right, Rob? Oh, and then he goes-

Andy Ruiz 43:50 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 43:50 ... on the airplane, huh? (laughs) That was a funny one. That guy's amazing. R- what is his Tw- Ray Rod, 547. W- w- what is it? Five, four, what? Five, four, seven. We're gonna find out his Instagram and give him some props-

Andy Ruiz 44:02 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 44:02 ... 'cause... 747. Ray Rod 747. Put that- put that up- Yeah. ... so we can watch that again. This- that guy is a goddamn genius-

Andy Ruiz 44:08 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 44:08 ... 'cause he d- didn't just do it with that, he did it with Deontay versus Brazil. He gave him, uh, Thanos' power fist.

Andy Ruiz 44:14 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 44:16 (laughs) This guy does amazing, uh, anima... This one's not on, Jamie. Oh. The guy does, uh, amazing, uh, animation. I mean, I don't even know-

Andy Ruiz 44:25 Wow.

Joe Rogan 44:26 ... what- how the fuck he does something like that on what program. But this was my favorite. Play- play this, Jamie.

Andy Ruiz 44:32 I think Anthony Joshua threw one-

Joe Rogan 44:33 Yeah. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 44:34 ... and that was enough-

Joe Rogan 44:35 You hear a boom.

Andy Ruiz 44:36 Oh.

Joe Rogan 44:36 Look at that. (laughs) When you see the soul just leaves his body-

Andy Ruiz 44:40 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 44:41 ... (laughs) a- a blue soul.

Andy Ruiz 44:42 Oh.

Joe Rogan 44:42 He gets the roller bag, he's on the- (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 44:44 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 44:44 ... he's on the escalator. He gets on the plane (laughs) and look, little tweety birds are flying around his head. That is hilarious, man. That guy is a goddamn genius.

Andy Ruiz 44:53 Wow.

Joe Rogan 44:53 Ray Rod 747.

Andy Ruiz 44:55 Thanks a lot, buddy.

Joe Rogan 44:56 No, he's a genius.

Andy Ruiz 44:57 Really funny. (laughs)

Joe Rogan 44:58 How many millions of- of views did that shit get? Uh, well, I think you reposted it and it got a lot more views than it did on his page. His got like 736- His- ... thr- uh, 735,000. Mm-hmm. But on mine it was- Yeah, it was a lot more. ... millions.

Andy Ruiz 45:10 Nice.

Joe Rogan 45:11 (laughs) Yeah, no, it's crazy. He's- he does a lot of great shit in MMA and in, uh, boxing. There's been a lot of that, right? A lot of memes?

Andy Ruiz 45:18 Yeah, I like that, you know? And now they have my own one, so it's- it's amazing.

Joe Rogan 45:23 They have your own one what?

Andy Ruiz 45:24 Like the- the memies that- that- that they put of- of me hitting, uh, Anthony Joshua, you know, stuff like that.

Joe Rogan 45:31 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 45:32 Having me there and looking at it, I'm just like, "Wow, man, this is crazy."

Joe Rogan 45:36 Yeah, wild, right?

Andy Ruiz 45:37 (clears throat)

Joe Rogan 45:38 So, you- uh, you didn't emulate anybody when you were coming up? It's not like Chavez or- or Barrera-

Andy Ruiz 45:44 Um...

Joe Rogan 45:44 ... or anybody that you- you, like, tried to imitate their style? Or Tyson?

Andy Ruiz 45:47 Of course. Yeah, of course, like Tyson, you know, everybody wants to knock everybody out like Tyson. And, um, Chavez, always going to the body, you know?

Joe Rogan 45:55 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 45:55 I'm one of the heavyweights that I like to hit the body a lot, you know? Get them tired. Um, uh, but like I said, I- I think I have my own style, you know? I like- I like my style.

Joe Rogan 46:06 Have you had the same trainer your entire life?

Andy Ruiz 46:09 No, I went through... I learned from a lot of different trainers. You know, my first, um, real professional trainer was Freddie Roach. That's when I met-

Joe Rogan 46:16 Oh, really?

Andy Ruiz 46:16 Yeah, that's when I met Manny Pacquiao.

Joe Rogan 46:17 I love Freddie.

Andy Ruiz 46:18 Freddie... me too, uh-

Joe Rogan 46:19 Such a great guy.

Andy Ruiz 46:21 Freddie, uh, helped me out through my whole professional career until like the- my 10th- uh, or 12th fight. He had me, so I learned a lot from him.

Joe Rogan 46:30 Why did you stop training with him?

Andy Ruiz 46:31 Um, they sent me to Las Vegas. Uh, Top Rank sent me over there. Uh, and then, um, some guy, Jeff-

Joe Rogan 46:38 Who were you training with over there?

Andy Ruiz 46:39 ... Jeff, some guy. J- Jeff Grzymosa. Some big guy was training me over there. And then we moved from there when we went to Abel Sanchez when I fought for the- for the world title for the WBO against Joseph Parker.

Joe Rogan 46:50 So, you were up in- up in Big Bear with Abel?

Andy Ruiz 46:53 In Big Bear. I was in Big Bear for... I think for like a month and a half, for the fight.

Joe Rogan 46:57 So, the Joseph Parker fight was the only fight you've lost и it was a-

Andy Ruiz 47:00 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 47:00 ... close decision.

Andy Ruiz 47:01 Exactly.

Joe Rogan 47:02 What's your- what was your thoughts on that fight?

Andy Ruiz 47:03 Um, you know, I trained myself for that fight.

Joe Rogan 47:06 Really?

Andy Ruiz 47:06 A lot of people- a lot of people don't know the- the training camp that we had. Abel Sanchez had like eight different fighters fighting at that same time, so he was always flying out. So, he would just leave us a piece of paper and be like, "You know what? You guys do this, do that." And on our own, you know? So-

Joe Rogan 47:20 That's crazy.

Andy Ruiz 47:21 ... uh, it kinda sucked.

Joe Rogan 47:22 Why did he do that?

Andy Ruiz 47:24 Uh, obli- he owes the obligation to- to- to go to the other fights, you know?

Joe Rogan 47:28 Spread himself too thin.

Andy Ruiz 47:29 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 47:30 That sucks.

Andy Ruiz 47:31 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 47:32 I'm a fan of Abel Sanchez too. He's a bad motherfucker.

Andy Ruiz 47:34 Yeah, he sure is. You know, I appreciate everything that he's done for me, but-

Joe Rogan 47:37 So knowledgeable.

Andy Ruiz 47:38 But for that fight, um, I think I needed, uh, the right trainer. And moving with Manny Robles and Estrellita, it was- it was the best thing I could've done, you know? 'Cause those guys are really on me, just two- two guys just pushing you. And one telling you this, one telling you that, and-

Joe Rogan 47:52 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 47:53 ... uh, it- it's just good, you know? It keeps you focused and...

Joe Rogan 47:56 So, when Abel was training you and you were training by yourself, you were up there in Big Bear-

Andy Ruiz 48:00 In Big Bear.

Joe Rogan 48:01 ... training by yourself. How... Were you going nuts?

Andy Ruiz 48:03 I was going hella nuts, man. They didn't-

Joe Rogan 48:05 Like, "What the fuck am I doing up here?"

Andy Ruiz 48:06 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 48:06 "There ain't shit to do."

Andy Ruiz 48:07 I was- I was-

Joe Rogan 48:07 There's like one movie theater.

Andy Ruiz 48:09 ... I was going back and forth from my hometown, you know? 'Cause I live in Imperial Valley. I live like, uh-

Joe Rogan 48:13 So, that's like four hours, right?

Andy Ruiz 48:14 ... three hours from Big Bear.And, um, I was just going back and forth. And I wasn't really focused for that fight, you know, so, um, a lot of people don't know that. And that, that's why I lost.

Joe Rogan 48:25 Wait, did you- did you fight Parker in the UK?

Andy Ruiz 48:27 No, I fought him in New Zealand.

Joe Rogan 48:28 Oh, wow.

Andy Ruiz 48:29 New Zealand.

Joe Rogan 48:29 That's right.

Andy Ruiz 48:30 In his hometown, too.

Joe Rogan 48:31 Oh, wow.

Andy Ruiz 48:32 So I think if I would have been over here with Manny Robles, I definitely would have won.

Joe Rogan 48:36 Well, it was a close fight.

Andy Ruiz 48:37 It was a good- it was a good fight.

Joe Rogan 48:39 What... When you think about what-

Andy Ruiz 48:41 (coughs)

Joe Rogan 48:41 ... what went wrong, I mean, this is... It's always so important for a fighter to have... to experience a loss, because a loss sort of lets you know like, "Hey, man, you don't want this feeling."

Andy Ruiz 48:51 You know, and- and I didn't want to lose no more, you know.

Joe Rogan 48:54 Right. It makes you-

Andy Ruiz 48:54 And that's when... Exactly, that's when everything went down. And, uh, me having problems with, uh, Top Rank and (sniffs) them not letting me go, and Al Haymon helping me out. Al Haymon is the- the man, you know. He's the man right now. And he helped me out through- through everything to get me out of the- the situation and- and giving me this opportunity.

Joe Rogan 49:15 So Top Rank, did they make you train with Abel? Like how did- how did that set up?

Andy Ruiz 49:20 Yeah, we ended up going over there with Abel Sanchez. Uh, you know, it was- it was a good- a good idea at first, but we didn't know it was gonna be like that.

Joe Rogan 49:28 Right, because he's just got too many op- too many fighters, too many obligations.

Andy Ruiz 49:32 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 49:32 And Triple G wanted to believe in him as well, right?

Andy Ruiz 49:34 Yeah, Triple G went with Jacobs, Anthony Jacobs or something like that.

Joe Rogan 49:39 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 49:40 Um, but, uh, but Triple G is a good fighter. You know, I've seen him over there at the fights too, so...

Joe Rogan 49:46 He's amazing.

Andy Ruiz 49:46 We're- we're good friends.

Joe Rogan 49:47 No, he's amazing.

Andy Ruiz 49:48 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 49:49 And, you know, I'm really interested to see his rematch, if they try to do a rubber match with Canelo.

Andy Ruiz 49:54 He's strong, man. Me and him wrestled over there in Big Bear, and like-

Joe Rogan 49:57 You were wrestling?

Andy Ruiz 49:57 ... we were literally wrestling, and this guy picked me up and...

Joe Rogan 50:01 (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 50:01 Geez, he's strong.

Joe Rogan 50:02 Dude, those Russians are a different kind of human.

Andy Ruiz 50:04 Yeah, they're strong, man.

Joe Rogan 50:05 They're built different.

Andy Ruiz 50:06 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 50:06 They got different tendons or something. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 50:08 Something, but he's strong.

Joe Rogan 50:10 No, he is a bad motherfucker. He's a- he's a really friendly guy too.

Andy Ruiz 50:13 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 50:13 He's always smiling and shit.

Andy Ruiz 50:14 For sure. He's humble. He does-

Joe Rogan 50:15 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 50:16 I get along with him really good. We're over there going crazy together in Big Bear.

Joe Rogan 50:19 Why were you wrestling?

Andy Ruiz 50:20 Um, it was just some- something that... Some- some drill to warm up, and- and, um, grabbing our fists by... I mean, our hands, like shaking our hands to get- to get strength in our forearms and...

Joe Rogan 50:34 Shaking your hands to get strength?

Andy Ruiz 50:35 Yeah, it was... Like, can- can we do it?

Joe Rogan 50:37 Sure.

Andy Ruiz 50:37 And like, like going like that, like... (grunts)

Joe Rogan 50:38 Oh, just squeezing?

Andy Ruiz 50:40 Oh. Yeah, we get like, uh, cramps right here.

Joe Rogan 50:42 Really? How weird.

Andy Ruiz 50:43 Yeah, his forearms are fucking big too.

Joe Rogan 50:45 Oh, I'm sure.

Andy Ruiz 50:45 They're strong.

Joe Rogan 50:46 But why not, like, do like a wrist roll or something like that?

Andy Ruiz 50:48 We do that one too, but I guess... I don't know, that's how we're doing it.

Joe Rogan 50:51 Just their style of doing it?

Andy Ruiz 50:52 Uh-huh. Picking each other up and crazy shit.

Joe Rogan 50:55 How weird. So was Abel Sanchez gone with him too, or did he... Was he focusing on Triple G?

Andy Ruiz 50:59 No, um, Triple G was in training at that time. He had, uh, different other fighters. He had to go.

Joe Rogan 51:05 Oh, okay.

Andy Ruiz 51:06 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 51:06 So he was just in camp.

Andy Ruiz 51:07 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 51:08 So then you left Abel Sanchez, and now you're training with?

Andy Ruiz 51:11 With Manny Robles and Estrella at the Legends Boxing Gym in Norwalk.

Joe Rogan 51:16 So that is where you feel like is your best fit.

Andy Ruiz 51:19 Yeah, that's, um, comfortable right there, you know. Um, the gym is beautiful, facility is really big. Um, we have everything that you need. But for the, um, Reese Joshua 2, uh, the training camp is gonna be in the mountains somewhere private. And, you know, so we could just focus and get ready for the next fight.

Joe Rogan 51:37 So you're gonna do it in Mexico, right?

Andy Ruiz 51:39 Yeah, I'm gonna do it in Mexico.

Joe Rogan 51:40 Yeah. Nice. Um, did you like training at altitude at Big Bear? Was that the first time you had trained at altitude?

Andy Ruiz 51:45 No, I kind-... I went there a few times and, you know, I like it.

Joe Rogan 51:48 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 51:48 You know, the first few weeks is- is hard, you know.

Joe Rogan 51:51 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 51:51 It's really hard, you get tired fast and... Um, but I did like it.

Joe Rogan 51:56 But when you come back down to sea level, you- you feel the benefit?

Andy Ruiz 52:00 I- I feel the- the- the benefit, the... I can last more, you know, get more oxygen in your body, your brain.

Joe Rogan 52:07 Yeah, for sure. Now, um, when you go to Mexico, do you know what altitude you're gonna be up up there?

Andy Ruiz 52:11 It's gonna be high in altitude too.

Joe Rogan 52:13 'Cause there's like a point of diminishing returns. So people feel like once you get above like 6,000, 7,000, 8,000, the idea is that you can't work hard enough 'cause there's just not enough air.

Andy Ruiz 52:22 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 52:22 Like, they think that 5,000 is like the perfect line.

Andy Ruiz 52:26 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 52:26 There's- there's a lot of weird... There's- there's... You know, people have had different philosophies when it comes to training at altitude. And now many people feel like you should actually live at altitude, but you should train at sea level because they think-

Andy Ruiz 52:38 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 52:39 ... that you... when you train at sea level, you could put out more output, you could do more work, and then you go and live up at altitude so your body acclimates to the low oxygen and you develop more red blood cells.

Andy Ruiz 52:51 That makes sense.

Joe Rogan 52:52 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 52:52 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 52:52 So have you thought about doing something like that?

Andy Ruiz 52:54 I don't know.

Joe Rogan 52:54 Or are you just gonna stay up there?

Andy Ruiz 52:55 Yeah, I'm just gonna stay up there just for a few months, you know.

Joe Rogan 52:58 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 52:58 And... A few months and come back down, finish- finish it up, finish the camp for like a month and go where I'm gonna fight. That, I can't say.

Joe Rogan 53:07 Well, you're in such a great position, man.

Andy Ruiz 53:09 Thank you.

Joe Rogan 53:09 And you're only 29 years old, so like your athletic prime, particularly as a heavyweight, is like... You're only like three or four years away from your prime-

Andy Ruiz 53:17 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 53:17 ... which is really crazy.

Andy Ruiz 53:19 And that- that's a good thing, you know. I'm still young, I never had, um, big wars, you know, I've never been hurt, thanks to God, you know. And every fight that I have, you know, I always pray for me and- and the guy that I'm fighting though, 'cause I want both of us to go with our families, 'cause I have two friends that have died from... One from Mexicali and one from Costa Rica that I know personally, so it's scary, man. It's really scary.

Joe Rogan 53:42 It most certainly is. I mean, there's no getting away from that, man. It's- it's- it's a fucking scary sport.

Andy Ruiz 53:48 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 53:49 When you think about your career, do you have long-term goals? Do you have like a day that you... Like a time where you want to get out of the sport?

Andy Ruiz 53:56 You know what, I wanted to retire when I was 35 years old, and, um, I said that on a piece of paper like I- like I was telling everybody to... If you want to dr-... If you want to go over something, write it down and all that. And-I said I want, I wanted to retire when I'm 35, so we'll see.

Joe Rogan 54:11 Why 35?

Andy Ruiz 54:12 I don't know, I just had that number, 35.

Joe Rogan 54:14 Seems like a good number?

Andy Ruiz 54:15 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 54:16 What do you think you would do if you weren't boxing?

Andy Ruiz 54:18 Um, do the houses. My, my dad is a contractor, so, uh, we, we buy lots and we make houses from scratch, you know. We sell 'em, we resell 'em or we rent 'em out and, or make, uh, uh, a lot of apartments, you know, condos for the people that can't really afford ... What, what's that called? My dad does it.

Joe Rogan 54:37 Low-income housing.

Andy Ruiz 54:38 Low-income houses, um, apartments like that in my hometown, you know.

Joe Rogan 54:42 Well, that's beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 54:43 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 54:44 Um, but for fighters, the thrill of fighting is something that is impossible to recreate. It's almost like for a regular person to experience what you experienced when you knocked out Anthony Joshua, when Joshua gets counted off, the referee waves his arms and you're like, "Oh, shit." And-

Andy Ruiz 55:03 I started jumping like-

Joe Rogan 55:04 Oh my God you did.

Andy Ruiz 55:04 ... Shaguni Rabbit (laughs) .

Joe Rogan 55:05 You went nuts man.

Andy Ruiz 55:06 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 55:06 But I mean, that feeling. You, you, you all of a sudden, you're the heavyweight champion of the world. That, I mean, if you could sell that, that ... Look at that, look at you right there. (laughs)

Andy Ruiz 55:16 Yeah. Man, I felt like so many stuff, um, from my back just came off, you know, 'cause so much pressure, so much-

Joe Rogan 55:24 Oh yeah, man.

Andy Ruiz 55:25 ... stuff that was going through my mind.

Joe Rogan 55:27 I mean, everybody was stunned. The whole-

Andy Ruiz 55:29 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 55:29 ... crowd was stunned, everybody was ... And, but the crowd was on your side. It was really wild, man. When you were teeing off on him, man, the, the roars of the crowd, and when it was over, when the referee just sh- shook his hand and waved it off, like ... That high is what leads fighters back in the ring when they really shouldn't be. They chase that dragon.

Andy Ruiz 55:49 Yep, and that's what I wanna do, you know. Make a statement that everything is possible, you know. All the fighters that, that have low confident or something in themselves, you know, anything is possible. Just work hard and, you know, the opportunity will come.

Joe Rogan 56:03 (smacks lips) Do you think you'll ever train fighters?

Andy Ruiz 56:05 Me?

Joe Rogan 56:06 Yeah.

Andy Ruiz 56:06 No, I think the only person I would train would probably be like my son or ... At first, you know, because it's not really good to be training the son and ... Well, it depends what kind of relationship you guys have, you know.

Joe Rogan 56:17 Mm-hmm.

Andy Ruiz 56:17 But, um, I think my son I'll be training. I'd rather be like a promoter or something like that, do my own promotions.

Joe Rogan 56:25 Do you think you'll do that?

Andy Ruiz 56:25 I, I-

Joe Rogan 56:25 Like Oscar?

Andy Ruiz 56:26 I sure will.

Joe Rogan 56:27 Yeah?

Andy Ruiz 56:27 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 56:27 That's ... So-

Andy Ruiz 56:28 That's in the works. ARJ Promotions-

Joe Rogan 56:30 Oh, so you're already in-

Andy Ruiz 56:31 ... coming soon.

Joe Rogan 56:31 Really? You're already in?

Andy Ruiz 56:32 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 56:32 Oh, no shit. Wow, that's, that's-

Andy Ruiz 56:34 Wait, wait. That's the plan, you know. Uh, first I wanna focus on the fight and, and all that. I don't wanna jump in conclusions of doing all kinds of other stuff. I wanna focus on my fight and, um, after that or when I wanna retire, I wanna get fighters from Mexico, give them the opportunity and, um, you know, let 'em learn like Oscar De La Hoya.

Joe Rogan 56:53 Beautiful.

Andy Ruiz 56:54 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 56:54 That's beautiful, man.

Andy Ruiz 56:55 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 56:55 Well, anything else? Anything else you wanna tell people?

Andy Ruiz 56:58 Um, you know, just to tune in, uh-

Joe Rogan 57:00 December.

Andy Ruiz 57:01 ... in December, Anthony Joshua against Andrew Reese or And- or, it's Reese-

Joe Rogan 57:06 It's Reese versus Anthony Joshua.

Andy Ruiz 57:07 Reese. Uh-huh, two-

Joe Rogan 57:08 You're the top billing now, man.

Andy Ruiz 57:10 Yeah, yeah.

Joe Rogan 57:10 You're the champ.

Andy Ruiz 57:11 Thank you, but, um, you know, uh, just gotta work hard, man, work hard. Stay, stay humble, stay disciplined and just focus on the, on the rematch.

Joe Rogan 57:21 Well, Andy, listen, man. You're a great guy and a great role model.

Andy Ruiz 57:24 Thank you, man.

Joe Rogan 57:25 You know, and-

Andy Ruiz 57:25 I appreciate that.

Joe Rogan 57:25 ... I think for young kids to look up to a guy like you who's a really nice guy who's also a bad motherfucker-

Andy Ruiz 57:31 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 57:31 ... it makes them realize, hey-

Andy Ruiz 57:32 (laughs)

Joe Rogan 57:33 ... you know, you don't have to be a dickhead, you don't have to mean.

Andy Ruiz 57:35 Yeah.

Joe Rogan 57:35 You could be a real cool dude who even prays for his opponent-

Andy Ruiz 57:38 Exactly.

Joe Rogan 57:38 ... and still be the baddest motherfucker on the planet.

Andy Ruiz 57:41 Mm-hmm.

Joe Rogan 57:41 Congratulations to you, sir.

Andy Ruiz 57:42 Thank you, man.

Joe Rogan 57:42 Appreciate it-

Andy Ruiz 57:43 Appreciate it.

Joe Rogan 57:43 ... man, very much and good luck to you in December.

Andy Ruiz 57:44 Thanks for having me, man.

Joe Rogan 57:45 Thanks for coming over, bro. Thank you.

Andy Ruiz 57:46 Yep, you're gonna be there, man. I'm gonna give you some tickets for you.

Joe Rogan 57:48 Oh, shit.

Andy Ruiz 57:48 Yep.

Joe Rogan 57:49 Oh, shit.

Andy Ruiz 57:49 You're gonna be there. (rock music plays) (outro music plays)