Vanquished heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jnr admitted he fell victim to the trappings of fame, after his shock upset win over Anthony Joshua back in June.
Ruiz sky-rocketed to stardom with his triumph over Joshua in New York City, becoming an overnight celebrity in the process.
But the Mexican stacked on an extra 8kg for their rematch in Saudi Arabia on Sunday (NZT), where he was outclassed by Joshua in a unanimous-decision loss.
At the post-fight press conference, Ruiz confessed he'd over-indulged in his newfound status, which had an undeniable impact on his performance.
"I'd like to say that the three months of partying didn't affect me, but it did," said Ruiz. "I think the partying and all this stuff got the best of me.
"I was overweigh, I should have trained harder. I should have listened to my coaches more.
"Maybe I shouldn’t have put on all this weight that I did."
Joshua controlled the fight from the opening to closing bell and Ruiz openly conceded that he'd been outclassed, although he was quick to call for a rubber match.
"I don't want to give any excuses. He won, he boxed me around, but if we do this a third time, best believe I'll be in the best shape of my life."
Asked what he'd do differently if he were to be granted a trilogy fight, Ruiz quickly acknowledged his trainers.
"Listen to my coach, listen to my dad and take it more seriously. I tried to do the training on my own - I should have listened to them more.
"Being overweight, I wasn't fluid enough - I wasn't moving the way I wanted to move. I think, if I'm lighter, I'm going to let my hands go and be a completely different fighter."
With monster paydays waiting in the wings against the likes of Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury - who are expected to contest the WBC title in February - a third bout seems highly unlikely at this stage.
Joshua was reluctant to commit to a title unification bout, preferring to savour what he deemed the second-best of his 23 professional wins.
"I respect Wladimir [Klitschko] so much, because he gives me so much advice," Joshua said. "That fight with Wladimir is what created this night here and that's why it will always rank No.1.
"I respect Andy too, a man that beat me fair and square. It was like an exam that I failed the first time, but I came back and studied harder, and I got the 'W'."
