Ruiz even had a Snickers bar waiting in his dressing room after his victory over JoshuaGETTY IMAGES
Heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. "may soon have all the Snickers he can eat," as the boxer is "currently in talks with the candy bar’s parent company, Mars, for an endorsement deal," according to Joseph Staszewski of the N.Y. POST. Ruiz' manager David Garcia said the two parties have had “semiformal discussions." It is a partnership Ruiz is "eager to land." Ruiz "hasn’t been shy about professing his love for the candy." He has a Snickers bar as the "banner photo on his Twitter account." He even "received congratulations from Snickers’ official Twitter account and the promise of a package from them." Ruiz' Dir of Social Media & PR Fredy Mendez said that Mars "reached out" to Ruiz’ camp 12 hours after he defeated Anthony Joshua. Garcia said that Ruiz "could not eat Snickers the day he faced Joshua because the New York State Athletic Commission’s rules would not let him consume any unregulated substances but he did have one present in the dressing room." He added that because Ruiz is "trying to get Mars’ attention he made it a point to have a Snickers bar around" (N.Y. POST, 6/4).
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE: In Baltimore, Holden Wilen noted Joshua's "surprising loss" to Ruiz "might have actually been a good thing for Under Armour." The result was "so unexpected the fight is actually getting more coverage after the fact than it did it before taking place." The UA logo, "prominently placed on Joshua's trunks and shoes, can be seen in the photos used by ESPN's broadcasts and articles discussing the fight." Despite the loss, UA Senior VP/Brand Management Attica Jaques said the company will "stand with AJ and look forward to supporting him in the future." Under Armour "used the fight week as a focal point for activation around its line of training apparel called Rush." The clothing is "made from a mineral-infused fabric that converts athletes' body heat into energy to help them recover faster." Joshua is "one of three athletes Under Armour has been featuring in a marketing campaign for Rush," along with Warriors G Stephen Curry and USWNT D Kelley O'Hara (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/3).
TURNING A NEGATIVE INTO A POSITIVE: ESPN’s Bomani Jones said Ruiz defeating Joshua is "definitely not a bad thing for boxing.” ESPN's Pablo Torre said Ruiz-Joshua was “as fun a fight as I’ve seen in like a decade in any division" (“High Noon,” ESPN, 6/3).
