Andy Ruiz Jr. admits that he should have prepared better for Anthony Joshua.

Andy Ruiz Jr. intended to shock the boxing world a second time in a rematch with Anthony Joshua. It appeared Ruiz had Joshua’s number after he knocked him down four times in June to become the new unified heavyweight champion.

But the defending champion was a different fighter at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia, as was the challenger. Instead, Joshua (23-1, 21KOs) recaptured the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles by making changes that paid off. Ruiz (33-2, 22KOs) on the other hand, made some changes that cost him.

“If I let my hands go just like I did on June 1st, I think I would’ve won this fight,” said Ruiz. “And like I said, I should’ve trained harder. I should’ve listened to my coaches more. Maybe I shouldn’t have put on all this weight that I did, and I would’ve been faster; and I would’ve thrown more.”

Ruiz hit the scale at 283.7 pounds, nearly 16 pounds heavier than the 268 pounds he weighed on the night he made history. It showed, as the attack and fast hands that made him a threat in the first fight were no longer a weapon.

The weight gain wasn’t the only factor working against “The Destroyer” in the ring. Fresh off a career-defining victory, a seven-figure paycheck, and becoming the first heavyweight champion of Mexican descent in history; maybe Ruiz was too caught up with the moment.

“I think we started too late,” said Ruiz, regarding his training camp. “I don’t wanna say the three months of partying I had, celebrating, and what not kind of affected me. Cause to tell you the truth, it kind of did. But what can I say, just learn (from) this mistake.”

The Imperial native pressed forward for most of the fight, but never managed to find his comfort zone on the inside; or land significant combinations. Ruiz landed several hooks in rounds four and eight, but Joshua utilized his movement and long reach to keep the fight on the outside.

After outboxing and outclassing Ruiz behind the jab for 12 rounds, “AJ” earned the unanimous decision victory. Two of the judges scored the fight 118-110, while the third judge had it 119-109.

“I think being overweight got the best of me,” said Ruiz. “I thought it was going to be a better thing for me. I thought I was going to be stronger. I think being lighter, I’m gonna let my hands go more. And I’ma be a completely different fighter. But I think he (Joshua) did a good job.”