By Andrew L. John

When Andy Ruiz Jr. was a boy, his father routinely put the “Rocky” movies on for him to watch. Andres Ruiz would tell his son that one day he’d be the Mexican Rocky — the real-life version of Sylvester Stallone’s fictional character who defied staggering odds to defeat a previously unbeaten world heavyweight champion.

After more than a decade in the sport, and nearly walking away from it on more than one occasion, Ruiz, an Imperial Valley native and resident, finally got his big chance to make good on that in a June 1 bout against unbeaten heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Joshua, who had ended 21 of his 22 bouts with a knockout victory, is a chiseled 6-foot-6, and most gave Ruiz, who stands 6-foot-2 and is a less chiseled 268 pounds, no chance.

But the 29-year-old somehow knocked Joshua down four times inside Madison Square Garden in New York to capture the WBO, WBA, IBO and IBF world titles in an upset that many believe is the biggest in boxing since Buster Douglas, then a 42-to-1 underdog, famously defeated Mike Tyson in 1990.

“Looks can be deceiving,” said Edgar Jasso, Ruiz’s trainer. “He works like any flyweight, any bantamweight, any junior welterweight. I mean, this kid has got a lot of heart. He’s got a lot of speed. He’s got a lot of motor. He’s got a lot of abilities.

“He’s got a lot of talent that a lot people of slept on.”

The border town of Imperial came alive that night in June, and it came alive again Saturday morning during a parade held in honor of the hometown hero who stayed in the community throughout his career and became the first Mexican boxer to claim a world heavyweight championship belt.

Thousands poured into the streets for the eight-block procession that circulated through the city and ended at Imperial High School. Some said they came up for the celebration from Mexicali. Others were more local. All agreed that, regardless of the border, the community is one and Ruiz (33-1, 22 knockouts) is theirs.

“He’s one of us, so this is a big deal,” said Reyna Gutierrez as her eyes welled with tears. “People might not understand. He’s representing our community and he’s the first Mexican heavyweight champion. We’re so proud of that.”

The parade was set to begin at 8 a.m., but a delay caused it to start just before 9:30. A mariachi band played and police offers in cars and horses provided crowd control along the procession’s pathway.

Disc jockeys were set up on several street corners, blasting the iconic tunes, such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and Bill Conti’s iconic title track from the “Rocky” film soundtrack. Some brought stereos and blared Queen’s “We are the Champions.”

A marching band and cheerleaders from Imperial High led the procession. A truck pulled a trailer filled with kids from Calexico Boxing Academy. Among the children, a pair of boys pounded a heavy bag with boxing gloves.

A float shot confetti into the air and another shot out “Destroyer” t-shirts like a rocket, as is done at various sporting events.

Ruiz sat on the back of a maroon and gray Rolls Royce convertible with his wife, the red WBO championship belt slung over his left shoulder. He and his wife each held one of his four belts, and family members carried the other two in the bed of a truck just ahead.

Many in the crowd wore Ruiz themed t-shirts and chants of “Andy! Andy!” could be heard around each corner. Some watched from the windows of their homes, others brought homemade signs and took photos and videos of the spectacle on their phones.

“It’s the biggest deal to hit the front page of Imperial County in many, many years,” District 3 Supervisor Michael Kelley said. “I mean, he holds the same stage as Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson, and he’s a guy from Imperial County.”

The event was a homecoming of sorts, as Ruiz, nicknamed “Destroyer,” has been on a whirlwind media tour over the last three weeks after his life-altering victory. He was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and while there he says he met the cast of “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.”

Comedian Gabriel Iglesias said he would play Ruiz in a movie, which now seems inevitable considering the magnitude of his win. His followers on Instagram grew from fewer than 60,000 before the fight to more than 958,000 in the weeks since.

“Until this day, I’m still pinching myself to see if this is real,” Ruiz told reporters Friday. “This is a dream come true that I’ve been dreaming since I was six years old and I first went to the boxing gym.

“It’s crazy. I’ve been on a roller coaster, you know. Up and down, good, bad. But I never gave up. I kept training, I kept training. People probably thought that I wasn’t going to do nothing. I was too big, too overweight.”

After the parade concluded, hundreds gathered inside the Imperial High football stadium, where Ruiz received a key to the city. He said he was so touched by the gesture that he’d keep it with his championship belts. Highlights from the Joshua bout were shown on projector screens. Councilman Darrell Pechtl said that June 22 will forever be Andy Ruiz Jr. Day in the Imperial Valley.

Ruiz said he plans to use his newfound fame to help Imperial and the surrounding community. He plans to start his own gym, Destroyer Academy, for kids who don’t have the advantages of some in bigger cities.

“I was born and raised here,” he said, “so to be celebrating right here means so much to me.”

Organizers shared a video message from the former principal at Ben Hulse Elementary, the school from which Ruiz was sent home for fighting on more than one occasion. The woman spoke of how Ruiz was bullied as a child and how he learned to fight back and defend himself, and how she’s one of the many who’ve been a fan of his for a long time.

“When everybody says you can’t do something, he showed that you can do it,” Ruiz’s cousin, Hector Ponce, told The Desert Sun. “It represents a lot of pride in our Mexican heritage, what he did. He’s a living hero. A legend.”

Ruiz said he’s still motivated and hungry after the biggest win of his career and the once-in-a-lifetime celebration that followed. He’ll need to be, as he’s scheduled to face Joshua in a rematch, likely in December.

Though Ruiz said that he’s just getting started, some in boxing circles are still unsure what to make of his victory. Was it a fluke or is he here to stay?

Whatever the case, Saturday’s celebration won’t likely be forgotten by Ruiz, his family and the town that adores him. And for however long the good times last, his dad said that he’ll always marvel at what his son has become in boxing and in the Imperial Valley.

“We’re living that dream right now,” Andres Ruiz said. “He is the Mexican Rocky.”

Article courtesy of Andrew L. John & Palm Springs Desert Sun