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Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jarrell Miller on stage in New York City. Photo by Ryan Songalia
NEW YORK — Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jarrell Miller are proof that you don’t need to dislike one another to fight each other in a professional boxing match.
The two heavyweights will essentially play out the 1999 movie “Play It to the Bone” in real life as the out-of-the-ring friends meet on August 3 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in what is essentially a win-or-go-home situation for both fighters.
Miller (26-1-1, 22 knockouts) recalled the conversation he had with Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) when he realized that they’d be sharing the ring together.
“I picked the phone up and I called Andy. I said ‘ Brodie, do I have permission to kick your butt? “[Andy] is like, ‘I want to fight bad.’ I’m like, you know what? F—k it, let’s two brothers go in there and bang it out,” said Miller of what he calls “The Battle of Fast Food.”
“I told him no matter what happens after fight night you’re still taking me fishing.”
Ruiz, 34, says their friendship actually got off on a bad footing over a decade ago when Miller, now 35, who was ringside at one of Ruiz’s early pro bouts, and called him out after he scored a victory. Now the two are close, with Ruiz asking Miller to take a photo with one of his children at Wednesday’s press conference in New York City to announce the card, which will be headlined by Terence Crawford challenging WBA junior middleweight titleholder Israil Madrimov.
Ruiz says the mood will change once the bell rings.
“We’re friends but inside the ring it’s all business and it’s a different story,” said Ruiz, who held the unified heavyweight title briefly after upsetting Anthony Joshua by seventh round TKO in 2019.
“We’re professionals, we gotta do our jobs and both of us risk our lives to feed our loved ones, our families, our kids. Of course there’s always respect outside the ring but inside the ring, it’s going down.”
Both fighters are in desperate need of a win in their next bout. Ruiz will have been out of the ring for 23 months in August after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder. Miller has had his share of adversity as well, having been arrested for carjacking this past January in Florida, and suffering his first defeat, a tenth round stoppage to Daniel Dubois last December, in his last bout.
The matchup promises to be an entertaining one as both fighters are high-contact fighters who have been in Fight of the Year candidate bouts.
“That’s why he’s dangerous, he’s always there coming forward, he’s always in front of you but I feel with my speed, the combination, the movements, everything that I do, I’m gonna get the job done,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz says what continues to drive him is his goal to rewrite his legacy after losing the heavyweight title back to Joshua less than six months after his historic upset victory. Ruiz weighed more than 15 pounds more for the rematch at 283.5 pounds, and says he hopes a win can lead to a third bout with Joshua, who is resurgent after his vicious second round knockout of former UFC star Francis Ngannou earlier this year.
“You know what keeps me so motivated? When Anthony Joshua beat me in Saudi Arabia. I wasn’t prepared, I wasn’t training right, it kind of haunts me a little bit so now I gotta be prepared for every single fight because it still haunts me. That’s why I want to do a trilogy with him. For me to even talk about that I gotta get back in action, I gotta be back in action, I gotta be back in the groove and climb the ladders again,” said Ruiz, who hopes to be around 260 pounds for the fight.
The first rung on that ladder is “Big Baby” Miller. He promises afterwards there will be no ill feelings towards his long-time friend.
“I’m sure after I get that victory me and him are gonna go share a burger,” said Ruiz.
Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at [email protected].
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