Manny Robles: A Conversation Ahead of Ruiz vs Joshua

Manny Robles: A Conversation Ahead of Ruiz vs Joshua

By Will Collett

It was a night that will go down as one of the biggest heavyweight upsets in boxing history. A seventh round stoppage of Anthony Joshua crowned Mexican challenger Andy Ruiz Jr. as the new IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight world champion.

Looking for another dominant performance in Diriyah this Saturday, Ruiz hopes to make a successful first defence of his new titles in a similarly emphatic fashion.

Billed as one of the fights of the decade, enormous pressure has been mounted on the shoulders of both fighters as they fight with the whole world watching on.

Whilst Ruiz is determined to put in a performance validating that June 1st was not a one off, Joshua has been grinding harder than ever in camp to put himself in the best possible position to retain his world title belts.

This camp has included the incorporation of new techniques as well as additions to Joshua’s training team. Up and coming trainer Angel Fernandez is one such addition, brought in to offer his insight. This move affords head trainer Rob McCracken the ability to analyse Joshua from a different perspective, rather than up close on the pads.

Yesterday I caught up with the head trainer that will be in the opposite corner come fight night. Manny Robles, trainer of the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world, generously took some time out of his fight week schedule to join myself and some other boxing journalists over a conference call.

I was eager to hear his thoughts on Joshua’s new weight after having watched him show off a much slimmer frame in the public workout. I queried whether he thinks Joshua’s new weight will be a key factor in this fight and if he thinks this leaner physique will be able to withstand as much damage from Andy.

“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right… I don’t think his weight had much to do with him losing. Up until now it has always been a plus. He had a record of 21-0 up until the first fight so that weight was obviously working for him.”

Robles later reaffirmed these thoughts when speaking with one of the other reporters.

“This is boxing, not a weight lifting competition.”

He went on to say that whilst Andy does get criticism for his appearance, it is a good thing that AJ realises that something has to change. Often a defeat is the catalyst for such change.

Manny showed much intrigue into how Joshua is going to react on fight night to his new, lower weight. Regardless of how he copes with this, Robles believes that it will be the hard and adapted sparring Andy has endured throughout camp that will see him ready for whatever comes their way on Saturday night [9pm GMT].

For Andy, it has never been about hitting a specific weight. Whatever the weight is that he feels most comfortable at, will be the weight that they aim to enter the ring at. It is of no importance that Andy will never look like AJ aesthetically. Manny stated

“It is what it is, he is in great shape, both physically and mentally.”

During the conference call, Manny admitted that at the start of camp they did try to strip some of Andy’s weight, however, after feeling drained, they made the decision to put some back on.

With sparring the ultimate way to prepare for a fight, it is critical that the appropriate fighters are recruited. Ruiz’s sparring partners include Michael Hunter, one of the heavyweight divisions dark horses, as well as Gerald Washington.

Combining the work of a slick and fast operator such as Hunter, and that of Washington who offers the ability to replicate other aspects of Joshua’s game, has put Andy in the best possible shape for Saturday night.

When I asked if Manny has watched the first fight back many times in the build up to the rematch, his response was filled with passion. It has been an obsession,

“Everyday I dream about it. I think about it every second. I live and breathe that fight.”

With a clear focus on this, it will be interesting to see what exactly they have taken from the first fight.

He did state clearly that throughout this camp they have been working on defence a lot more. Such a move is clear to see that they both acknowledge and respect Joshua’s ability to inflict damage and hope to minimise such openings for him. He also made mention to the benefit they have seen in having a full 3 month camp, which has allowed them to come in with a better and more tailored gameplan.

Whilst Joshua will have had the same amount of time, far more changes are necessary on his part. Manny assured that their team will not be running away from their winning formula.

“It’s not hard, stick to what works, stick to the fundamentals.”

Team Ruiz are well aware that they may have to be the ones to force the action and make it explosive. AJ will undoubtedly try and box his way through the fight, but Robles stated his clear intention is to get him to open up and make it a dog fight. The confidence he has in his fighter is clear to see.

“I believe he is the better combination puncher and inside fighter and I want to work on that.”

It was interesting to hear Manny’s thoughts on Joshua’s mindset leading into the rematch.

“I am really intrigued to see how well he takes the first punch. How does he react? … It’s hard man, it was a tough loss in June. How will he react to being knocked down four times? It takes most fighters a long time to come back from a loss like that, so it will be interesting to see how he bounces back.”

With many questioning Joshua’s resolve in the aftermath of the first fight, Robles, almost like a proud father, boasted about Ruiz’s tenacity. He highlighted Ruiz’s heart as well as iron chin, forged from the tough upbringing he had to endure. His ability to take Joshua’s best shots and remain relatively unshaken will have undoubtedly put questions into the Brit’s mind.

For my last question with Manny, I thought I would ask who his preferred opponent would be if Andy was to retain his belts on Saturday night. His answer was perhaps to be expected in the build up to a fight of this magnitude:

“The only thing on our mind is Anthony. Nothing else is on my mind right now. After Saturday we will come back and discuss this again, but for right now I am only focusing on Saturday.”

Whilst he may not be looking at future opponents just yet, a win for team Ruiz on Saturday will not only send shockwaves through the boxing world for the second time, but will also have a huge impact on the heavyweight landscape moving forward.

With both Ruiz and WBC champion Deontay Wilder under the PBC banner, there would be few obstacles in the making of this fight.

Having the undisputed heavyweight champion would undeniably put Al Haymon in a hugely dominant position. Not only would this be disastrous for AJ, but also for Matchroom, having signed up an array of heavyweight talent over the last few months.

Not looking any further than Saturday night however, we have a spectacle to behold, when two heavyweight giants ‘clash on the dunes.’