According to the boxing legend, Evander Holyfield’s sparring with Andy Ruiz Jr. didn’t go how the former undisputed two-weight world champion had planned it.
Speaking to World Boxing News about his experience in the ring with Ruiz, Holyfield didn’t expect a young fighter to be so aggressive.
Holyfield was 46 years old at the time when a nineteen-year-old Ruiz walked through the doors of his gym.
An icon of the sport, “The Real Deal” had no problems giving an up-and-coming boxer the chance to share the ring with greatness.
Evander Holyfield sparring Andy Ruiz Jr.
“I knew that he could fight because [of after] I sparred with him. At the time, I was 46 and he was 19. I couldn’t believe a 19-year-old could be that good and so aggressive. He would chase me down,” Holyfield told World Boxing News exclusively.
“I’m like, ‘I’m the heavyweight champion of the world, who’s he trying to chase down?’ It was just amazing the confidence that he had. The persistence to cut the ring down, even in sparring.
“I realize that when you’re supposed to fight somebody and they bring someone else. They can sneak you, just like when I fought Bert Cooper.
“You know, I was meant to fight Francesco Damiani, then I got Bert Cooper, a journeyman. He was a good fighter at one time, but he couldn’t do a lot and all this, and he landed a good shot.
“I was able to recover, but these things can happen. The thing is with me personally. I understand the boxing game. You look at Ruiz, and he doesn’t look like he can fight at all. Nothing tells you he can fight, but he can.
“I’ve always been the smaller guy, so I always had it drilled in that if I catch him one time, it might happen. I had fast hands. And I brought speed into boxing, not that it matters, but you had to have fast hands to beat me.
“I was a good boxer, and my own thing was I could box better than I could fight.”
Champions
Holyfield added on the talent Ruiz honed to become Mexico’s fight heavyweight ruler: “Andy Ruiz Jr. really can fight. He has fast hands and can really hit hard. But nobody seemed to know it.
“The guy showed he can get up from being knocked down. He got taken down and got back up to win.”
Ruiz defeated Anthony Joshua to claim the title. Holyfield wasn’t as surprised as everybody else about the result, having shared training with the former champ.
