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.
