By Charles Brun: Andy Ruiz Jr. thinks Anthony Joshua and his team are smug in overlooking him in tonight’s fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. Ruiz Jr. (32-1, 21 KOs) says the early planning that Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn are doing in discussing the next fight after tonight’s contest makes him think they’re not taking him seriously as an opponent. Further, Ruiz Jr. says he could see the smug look in Joshua’s eyes during their face off at the weigh-in.
Ruiz Jr. saw overconfidence in Joshua’s eyes
During the weigh-in, Joshua had a cocky, almost patronizing look to him like he was looking down on someone that has no chance against him. This wasn’t lost on Ruiz, who read IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) like a book. Ruiz Jr. didn’t like the look Joshua gave him, and he’s going to “shock him” and shock the world tonight.
It was easy to see in the eyes of Joshua that he’s not taking Ruiz Jr. seriously as an opponent. That’s kind of disappointing, because Joshua agreed to this fight. If he felt that Ruiz Jr. stood no chance of beating him, he should have spoken up when his promoter Hearn floated the idea of him being the replacement for Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller. But perhaps that’s the type of opponent that Joshua wanted and needed for his U.S debut for him to shine in from the casuals boxing fans.
“I didn’t want to drop down too much [in weight]. I wanted to have the power to parry him, and for him to feel the punches,” Ruiz Jr. said to IFL TV about Joshua. “I feel he is [overlooking him], even thought he’s saying he’s not. I can feel the little squeaky eyes that he gives me, but I’m here to shock the world, especially shock him,” Ruiz Jr. said.
At this point, Joshua is on a roll right now having won his first 22 fights with 21 of them coming by knockout. Before that, Joshua captured a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, albeit a controversial victory. In total, all the success that Joshua has had as an amateur and in the pro ranks has made him the way he is today.
If Joshua had lost his fights against Erislandy Savon and Roberto Cammarelle in 2012 Olympics, as many boxing fan believe was the case, he would have started out as a pro in a different footing. There might not have been all these easy fights for him. He might have had to do it the hard way like Deontay Wilder.
Joshua is clearly planning other fights
It’s difficult to ignore how Joshua is openly looking passed Ruiz Jr., counting him as a win already, and hounding Wilder for a fight. Wilder got tired of the hounding and name dropping that Joshua was doing, so announced his next two fights against Luis Ortiz and Tyson Fury.
Wilder played Joshua like it was a chess game by taking his king, and putting him in an impossible situation where he needed to discuss his actual fight against Ruiz Jr. instead of using his name to create interest interest in tonight’s fight. The way that Wilder did it, Joshua couldn’t even use Fury’s name either, because he’s now signed to fight Wilder in early 2020.
“I think they’re getting too ahead of themselves, and that’s what a lot of people think too,” Ruiz Jr. said about Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing already looking ahead to plan future fights. “First they have to get by me, and it’s not going to be an easy task for them. I think they should start worrying about me before they start planning other fights, so who knows? It could go either way. It’s a 50-50 chance right here, but we’re here to win,” Ruiz Jr.
Joshua wants the bigger fights, and he’s starting to shown signs of growing weary of the tiresome mismatches that his promoter Eddie Hearn continually puts him in. Joshua should have pressed Hearn to step up his level of competition ages ago, because he’s been involved with too many mismatches against mediocre opposition. Joshua’s poor stamina, and his chin problems obviously has Hearn a little concerned with putting him in with someone a little too good like Wilder. Joshua was almost knocked out by 40-year-old Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. Joshua was also in trouble against Dillian Whyte in 2015. Carlos Takam had Joshua hurt in 2017. There are no easy fights for Joshua unfortunately, and that’s why it’s a mistake for him to be looking past tonight’s fight against Ruiz Jr.
“I’m the one that asked to hold the belts,” Ruiz Jr. said in talking about him inspecting Joshua’s three world titles on Friday. “I wanted to check them out. I knew in my head, they might be mine. Why not get a touch of them. All that stuff they’re saying, ‘It’s bad luck.’ I don’t believe in bad luck. As long as we execute the game plan that we have, we’re going to win,” Ruiz Jr. said.
A lot of boxing fans made a big production about Ruiz Jr. asking to take a look at Joshua’s belts on Friday. It’s not as if the 268 pound Ruiz Jr. was going to start running the belts. With Ruiz Jr’s physique, he wouldn’t have gotten more than a few steps before Joshua tackled him and snatched his titles back. Ruiz Jr. was polite about asking Joshua first if he could take a look at his world title belts.
“The speed, the quickness that I have, he’s never fought nobody like me,” Ruiz Jr. said. “I know Joseph Parker didn’t want to say this around, but me and him talked, and we know what we need to do and stick to the game plan and execute…the reason is to become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world. I just got done fighting on April 20th. I feel really good. Having camp to camp, I feel amazingly confident and ready. As long as I execute, June 1st will be my victory,” Ruiz Jr. said.
