Andy Ruiz Jr insists Anthony Joshua’s style is tailor-made for him ahead of their rematch next month. Ruiz Jr will defend his WBA (Super), WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles against the Brit in Saudi Arabia a week on Saturday. The Mexican-American will be looking for a repeat of his stunning performance at Madison Square Garden in June, where he ended Joshua’s reign as unified heavyweight champion in emphatic fashion.
On just six weeks’ notice, Ruiz Jr turned the boxing world upside down by registering a seventh-round TKO victory over his fellow Olympian.
Joshua was maligned for the approached he used in his ill-fated American debut, in which he surprisingly opted not to use his height and reach advantages and decided to engage Ruiz Jr at close range.
Ruiz Jr insists his upset victory was no fluke and is adamant Joshua is the perfect opponent for him.
When discussing Joshua’s strategy that night at MSG, Ruiz Jr told Sky Sports: “His style was perfect for me.
“The way he moves around, the way he carries himself in the ring. He’s strong, he’s big – but none of that matters.”
Joshua has shed a sizeable amount of muscle mass ahead of his second showdown with ‘The Destroyer’, a decision many believe he’s made in order to increase his mobility and make better use of his footwork.
Ruiz Jr reckons AJ’s new physique will have a detrimental effect on him, saying: “I saw videos where he looked slimmer.
“I don’t know if that’s an advantage or a disadvantage. I don’t know if he will take the punches as well as he did when he weighed more.
“Me? People are saying I lost too much weight, I won’t be strong, he will move me around.
“I am losing eight pounds from what I weighed on June 1. I’ll still be the same, I’ll still be strong.”
Joshua, 30, is relishing the opportunity to exact revenge on Mexico’s first heavyweight champion and silence those criticised him in the wake of his first professional loss.
“I’m fighting the best man in the world now,” Joshua told Sky Sports ahead of the ‘Clash on the Dunes’. “I’m going to whup him, and show how great I am.
