Former World Heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. publicly declared his faith in Jesus Christ when he got baptized with his son last week.
“Hey guys, today is a very special day for me and for my kids and for my family, and I’m just taking a big step into this newborn and washing down all my sins away and becoming something new and something great and something that my kids get to get to see and is really exciting,” Ruiz Jr. shared in a video posted by Heart Revolution Church.
“And I just thank everybody from the Heart Revolution Church. I thank Pastor T.J. I just can’t wait for this new start, for this new journey, and for this new chapter in my life. So, thank you so much for everybody that came here to support me, and thank you, Heart Revolution,” he added.
Ruiz openly talked about his faith in God in 2019 after his rematch with Anthony Joshua. He lost that fight and shortly after fell into a deep depression.
“I felt empty inside,” Ruiz told Sports Illustrated as he talked about gaining weight.
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He didn’t know what to do but turn to his family, friends and most importantly, God.
“I was so depressed, so sad, and I started praying,” Ruiz shared. “And I was like, ‘Man, God, I’m sorry for not doing the right things. I’m sorry for not following your orders.’ I made a promise to Him, and I told Him that I was going to do the right things again.”
That moment became a turning point in his comeback. In 2021, Ruiz was set to fight Chris Arreola. When preparing for the fight, he said he felt like “the old Andy died” and this was “the new Andy.” He described it almost like a pro debut because he knew he was doing the right things, training hard and staying dedicated.
“I had the belts. I made history. I became the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world and I lost them because of lack of discipline, of lack of training,” Ruiz said of his comeback fight with Arreola. “Now that I’m doing everything right, I feel amazing. I know exactly what I’m capable of doing and what I can accomplish. Imagine me being really disciplined, training really hard, I could go really far. I’m still a young kid and every fighter, we’re still learning every single day in the gym. We’re still learning and of course, man, I’m hungry, bro. I’m really hungry. I want those belts back.”
Ruiz went on to win his fight against Arreola, where he credited the win to God when he declared, “We did what we had to do and we won the victory but remember that I was the lowest of the lowest and had to come back…thanks to God we got this victory,” CBS Sports reported.
Ruiz’s journey is a testimony that God can use anyone for his glory.
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