There are quotes out by Ruiz saying he didn't take the fight seriously and that partying for 3 months and eating too much kinda affected him. And quotes by Wilder saying the same.
But ok, yeah according to you Ruiz was in tip top shape. And Joshua beat a man in prime condition.
Ruiz, throughout his career, has never been "fit", as he has never had to be and he has never wanted to be either - his lifestyle is typical of the man he wants to be. His style doesn't lean himself to be that well-conditioned either. Ruiz doesn't and has never from the fights I have seen work every round of any given fight, he fights in bursts when he can get in range. Ruiz's problem for his style hasn't been about fitness, it's been about his footspeed, hence why he struggled so much more to get in close quarters with Joshua. AJ's problem last time out was that he stayed in range far too often and got tagged too much - Ruiz didn't need footspeed then, last night he did.
This is the fight AJ should have played last time in June, but according to Hearn, he wasn't in the right headspace - AJ was unprofessional then, taking Ruiz far too lightly - last night he righted those wrongs and fought the "right" fight. Was he fearing Ruiz? Yeah, sure he was - he had his whole destiny at stake.
Was Ruiz overweight last night - yep he was, however, Ruiz has been this heavy before in his second fight - I also remember Freddie Roach saying that Ruiz fights better with fat, though I doubt he would have liked seeing any of his fighters in such poor conditioning, but as I have already alluded to, Ruiz isn't like every other HW
where conditioning is concerned.
I bet with anyone that neither Wilder or Fury trade with Ruiz on the inside. He is dangerous regardless of the weight he carries - Speed carries power and if he can get some form of positive attitude and stay at a reasonable weight for his style, then he will be a danger in this division - last night showed he was ill-disciplined in his
approach to his training camp and paid the ultimate price.