Andy Ruiz Jnr compared to ‘Butterbean’ by ESPN sportscaster in ultimate insult
- Mexican-American compared to obese ex-fighter who fought during the Mike Tyson era
- Promoter Eddie Hearn denies Joshua was hurt during training in the lead-up to the fight
Days after defeating Anthony Joshua in one of the biggest boxing upsets ever, newly crowned champion Andy Ruiz Jnr is still not earning respect from certain quarters.
Ruiz was a massive underdog in last Saturday’s world heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden but pulled off a stunning seventh-round TKO to snatch the Briton’s WBO, IBF and WBA belts.
But even after etching his name in boxing immortality, the 29-year-old Mexican-American wasn’t getting much love with many on Twitter still poking fun at his overweight stature. One sportscaster from ESPN even compared Ruiz to retired heavyweight “Butterbean” (Eric Esch), the grossly obese fighter, who fought during the Mike Tyson era more than 20 years ago – a huge insult to the new champion.
Stephen A Smith tweeted: “OMG! OMG! I cannot believe this S$&@$! Anthony Joshua – holder of 3 belts, gets TKO’d by Butter Bean ... I mean some dude named Andy Ruiz JR. What a damn disgrace. Joshua looked completely gassed! More fatigued than hurt! Now how in the Hell did you let that happen? How?”
Smith continued his rant by saying that he was “disgusted” Deontay Wilder wasn’t the one who had administer the TKO on Joshua and that fans won’t be able to see the much-anticipated Joshua and Wilder clash now that the Briton has lost. Smith goes on to say “Wilder vs Joshua was officially ruined and that no one with sense believes Joshua has a chance vs him now, even if he goes back and beats Ruiz”.
Ruiz took exception to Smith calling him “some dude” and was particularly upset that he compared him to “Butterbean”. Ruiz tried to remind Smith that he has been around as a professional for 10 years and that he castigated the ESPN sportscaster for his lack of boxing knowledge.
“I encourage you to do your research before insulting my career. I know boxing isn’t your lane but if you are gonna talk about boxing please study and know what you are saying,” tweeted Ruiz.
Ruiz and Smith were tweeting back and forth with Smith changing his tune a bit by saying Ruiz was “damn good”.
Thousands of Twitter users commented on the issue and most agreed that Smith was out of line for comparing Ruiz to “Butterbean”. Twitter users congratulated the big Mexican-American for his upset victory, which earned them big respect. Some Twitter users demanded Smith apologise to the new champion.
“Big Andy – you were a pleasure to deal with in New York. All your stuff with us last week on @5liveSport was fantastic. Enjoy your time as champion and ignore fools,” said Steve Bunce.
Another Twitter user added: “Another clear win for you. !! Thanks for being u... @Andy_destroyer1 and for u champ. Don’t let clueless keyboard warriors diminish this great win,” tweeted ptyboxing.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has denied the Briton had been knocked out and hurt during sparring in the lead-up to the fight in New York.
There have been reports that the previously unbeaten boxer had entered the ring with a large bruise on his face and his performance on fight night could have been affected by the incident.
However, Hearn told The Telegraph: “Absolutely there is no truth that he was badly hurt in sparring, there were no health concerns going into the fight.
“The biggest concern was a stye on his eye. He’s putting on a brave face after the defeat, but he is already starting to think about getting revenge – the rematch is a huge fight and there’s a lot of pressure on AJ to win it.”
Reports suggest Joshua was hurt during sparring after he was knocked to the canvas by Joey Dawejko, a heavyweight boxer who has a professional record of 19 wins, seven defeats and four draws.
Joshua told Seconds Out that the injuries to his face were just “physio stuff” and that no boxer knocks him out during sparring.
