ANDY RUIZ JR has posted a brilliant throwback on Instagram depicting himself alongside fellow boxer Oscar Valdez.
The fighting pair almost look unrecognisable in the post, with both sporting shaved heads in the photo from a few years ago.
Both also boast a lot more tattoos now than they did back then, and that is not the only thing that has changed.
Ruiz Jr, 31, has lost a huge amount of weight in the intervening years, with most of the weight loss happening after his defeat to Anthony Joshua in December 2019.
The Mexican became heavyweight world champion after he defeated AJ in their first encounter in Madison Square Gardens.
Valdez, 30, won the WBO featherweight title in July 2016 and has retained the belt on ten occasions.
And after defeating Miguel Berchelt in February he also secured the WBC super featherweight title.
Because of their achievements and the change in look, Ruiz Jr. captioned his Instagram post: “We’ve come a long way.” He also tagged his compatriot in the post.
The pair are a similar age and have shared their boxing journey, with Ruiz Jr. fighting Devin Vargas on the undercard of Valdez’s March 10 2018 bout with Britain’s Scott Quigg.
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Many fans were astounded by the transformation of the pair, with one tweeting: “From Cholos to Champions.”
Another added: “From MS 13 looking guys, to world champion looking guys.”
A third simply added: “Glow up.”
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