Andy Ruiz Jr., the first man to stop Anthony Joshua, has apologised after injuring a streamer during a sparring session. Ruiz said he was not trying to “go hard” after a right hand dropped the streamer Oblivion, who was wearing headgear, with footage appearing to show his jaw cracking on impact.
Ruiz, who shocked the boxing world by stopping Joshua at Madison Square Garden in 2019, said he regretted stepping into the ring and insisted the damage was accidental. Oblivion later said he briefly blacked out following the punch.
The former heavyweight champion has fought sparingly since his upset win over Joshua, losing the immediate rematch later in 2019. Ruiz has previously admitted that poor preparation and weight gain undermined his chances in that second bout, allowing Joshua to outbox him over 12 rounds.
