3 Newly Crowned Champions Who Partied Too Hard and Lost…

JULY 22, 2022 BOXINGVIDEOS / BY FAYZ

Andy Ruiz Jr

So last week Anthony Joshua reclaimed the heavyweight titles of the world with a very comfortable win over Andy Ruiz Jr. Joshua was in control the whole fight and stuck to his game plan, which was a lot of lateral movement and not to engage on the rare occasion Andy Ruiz Jr was able to get in close or cut off the ring.

Now in the weeks leading up to the fight, there were claims that Ruiz had lost weight and was in better shape for this fight than the first meeting between the two, the rumours were so strong that it even led some to say that losing weight would be a bad idea for Ruiz because he won the first fight at that weight and that it could effect his punch resistance. Of course Ruiz then came in on the weigh in at 283lbs, which was heavier than he weighed in at the first fight….surprising as the few pictures released of him leading up to fight it did look like Ruiz had lost ample weight…

In the press conference after suffering defeat at the hands of Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz Jr finally came clean and admitted his preparation hadn’t gone quite to plan – Ruiz said he spent three months partying and apologised to his trainer because he had told his trainer he was training himself – when a fighter tells his coach that, it pretty much means he isn’t training and no way can they push themselves harder than their coach can. It seems the millions he received from his victory over Joshua in June was too much to handle for Ruiz and he had to spend it. With that in mind, here are three more examples where newly crowned champions enjoyed life outside the ring a little more than life inside the ring…

Roberto Duran vs Sugar Ray Leonard

Duran had dominated the lightweight division and is generally regarded by many as the greatest lightweight in history. Not content with his iron grip in the division, Duran would jump up two weight classes to take on the face of boxing and the number one draw in the sport, welterweight champion Sugar Ray Leonard. Duran would win the battle and was now a true star in boxing and his pay cheque reflected that. Unfortunately for Duran he spent the upcoming months partying and then Leonard’s team had an irresistible offer to Duran, his team were forced to accept which meant Duran now had little time to lose the weight he had gained from his non stop eating and partying. Duran would crash diet to make weight but wasn’t himself in the ring and eventually he just couldn’t be bothered to continue, waving off the fight mid round in what would become the infamous ‘No Mas’ fight. Duran lost his titles but more importantly his pride was dented and it took some years before he was over it and the boxing world forgave him for his act…

Leon Spinks vs Muhammad Ali

Leon Spinks was a successful amateur boxer and when he signed up to fight his idol it would be only the eighth fight of his professional career. Ali himself was at the end of his career and clearly didn’t train too hard himself, underestimating the young Spinks. The result was a huge shock as Spinks took the titles off Ali, becoming the first man to take the belts from Ali inside the ring. Naturally Ali wanted to right his wrongs and the rematch with Spinks was signed. Whilst Ali worked as hard as he ever had in preparation for the rematch, the young Spinks who was now the face of heavyweight boxing spent his time partying, enjoying his new found fame and riches with reports surfacing that in the lead up to the fight he was often out drunk. Part II came and Ali danced, jabbed and grabbed his way to a convincing win – and promptly retired…

Buster Douglas vs Evander Holyfield

When Buster Douglas upset the odds to beat the baddest man on the planet, it wasn’t just the biggest upset in boxing history, it was maybe even the biggest shock in sports history. Again like Ali, Tyson underestimated his opponent with plenty of shenanigans himself in the weeks and days before the fight, Douglas who had been criticised for being ‘lazy’ during his career was now fully focused on the task in front of him, fuelled by the passing of his mother. Having defeated Iron Mike, Douglas was now thrust into the limelight that comes with being the heavyweight champion of the world and defeating a man many believed was invincible. When Douglas signed up to fight Evander Holyfield and came in on the night it was clear he did not have the same zeal for the fight as he did against Tyson. 15lbs overweight there was little fight in him as he surrendered his titles in just the third round. Douglas had made plenty of money in these two fights and he disappeared in relative obscurity soon after and didn’t fight again for almost six years….

About the author 

Fayz

Boxing Coach
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Boxing Author of:

The Boxing Cheat Sheet - Your Ultimate Guide to Ring Survival

Strength and Conditioning for Boxing - Work out Hits to get you Fighting Fit!

Forgotten Legends of the Ring - Ten Past Masters of the Squared Circle

*Any videos or images used on this site to support my articles that are copyrighted are used for educational purposes and in accordance to the fair use act and are not my own - all credit is due to the respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.


Tags

andy ruiz jr, Anthony Joshua, buster douglas, champions who partied too hard and then lost, mike tyson, muhammad ali, newly crowned champions who lost, roberto duran, sugar ray leonard, too much partying


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