I trained Andy Ruiz for Anthony Joshua KO upset win and one key factor helped us make history

Andy Ruiz’s monumental victory over Anthony Joshua will forever be etched in boxing history.

Ruiz was relatively unknown in the boxing world, until he was handed the biggest opportunity of his life when he replaced Jarrell Miller on short notice in a unified world heavyweight title clash against Anthony Joshua in June 2019 during AJ’s US debut.

The Mexican presented himself as an overwhelming underdog with little hope in the fight, but caused one of the biggest upsets in boxing history by dropping Joshua four times en route to a famous victory in the New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden.

It was a monumental feat that was regularly compared to Buster Douglas’ phenomenal upset of Mike Tyson, and it was engineered alongside then-manager Manny Robles.

In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, Robles, who will work as a coach in the upcoming Team Combat League, explained exactly how he thought five years ago they could rewrite history in the ‘Mecca of Boxing’, thanks to the perfect timing of the call.

He said: “It wasn’t really short term, what people don’t know is we were just coming off a fight with Alexander Dimitrenko in Los Angeles.

“So we went to a full camp and a week later we fought with Anthony Joshua.

“So we got back in the ring and the timing was perfect.

“We fought someone who looked a lot like Joshua. A week later we got the call for a huge Joshua fight.

“So we spent about a month in camp, but the hard work was already done because Dmitrenko was a lot like Joshua, a big, strong, solid guy.

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“The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, and we were able to win the World Heavyweight Championships.

“It was definitely one of the biggest achievements of my career, it was really special.”

Seismic shockwaves coursed through the boxing world, after Ruiz bounced around the ring in a famous celebration after defying all odds.

Joshua was clearly not at his best, but the Mexican had shown defiance and serious boxing skills while implementing a tough game plan to capitalize on AJ’s weaknesses that night.

Despite the defeat, the Briton was very kind to Ruiz and his attitude earned him an immediate chance at redemption a few months later.

Robles, the man who masterminded the victory over Joshua, is extremely complimentary of his reaction to date and believes he should be used as a role model for the next generation of heavyweight talent.

“People don’t know it, but even today, after that night, I admire Anthony Joshua,” he continued.

“He is a role model for people all over the world, athletes and people in general. He is someone that children should inspire to be like him.

“He’s such a gentleman outside the ring, he’s so humble. Even in defeat, he’s humble enough to hold his head high.

“In victory he always gives respect and praise to his opponents and that says a lot about a person.”

Ruiz was unable to retain the titles, after admitting he got carried away with the celebrations and did not prepare sufficiently for the February 2020 rematch, which the Briton won on points .

Robles has since parted ways with Ruiz, and the two have not spoken in several years since achieving this remarkable feat as a seemingly unbreakable team.

Since that day, AJ suffered two more defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, but responded again by putting together a nice winning streak under new coach Ben Davison.

Ruiz is currently out of the heavyweight world title contender and, although he appears to be in excellent shape, he has not competed in several months.

He returned in 2021 against Chris Arreola, earning a lackluster points victory over the experienced campaigner, with many expecting his trajectory to rise again.

However, he has only fought once since against Luis Ortiz in 2023, picking up another victory on points, but has yet to cement his name in the mix for world titles.

Ruiz Jr called for a shot at Deontay Wilder ahead of the American’s recent loss to Joseph Parker, but no fight materialized.

Negotiations were underway last year, but despite calls exchanged on social media, the talks never came to fruition and the former champion appeared to be frozen out for a significant period of time.

Robles will coach this year’s second season of the fast-growing boxing competition Team Combat League.

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