By Charles Brun: Lennox Lewis states that former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua needs to fix his mental problems that led to his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. last June if he wants to beat him in the rematch. Former IBF/WBA/WBC heavyweight champion Lewis says that Ruiz Jr. (33-1, 22 KOs) will beat Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) “hands down” in the rematch if AJ doesn’t get his mental problems sorted out.
Lewis noticed that the 29-year-old former IBF/WBA/WBO champion Joshua didn’t look right to him as he entered the ring for his June 1 voluntary defense against fringe contender Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden in New York. In Lewis’s mind, Joshua didn’t look like his normal self when he did his ring walk. Lewis says he’d like to see Joshua fight Ruiz Jr. in Mexico for the rematch, but that’s not likely to happen. Joshua is acting passive in leaving it up to his promoter Eddie Hearn and his training team for where the rematch will be staged. They’re targeting Cardiff, Wales.
Ruiz Jr. wins if they DON’T fix Joshua’s problems says Lewis
“If they don’t fix what’s wrong with Anthony Joshua, Andy Ruiz wins that fight hands down,” said Lennox Lewis to Fighthype. “It must be mental, because he didn’t look the same coming into the ring like he usually does. It was something definitely there. Hopefully, it’ll come out in the future. I think Anthony Joshua made it easy for Andy Ruiz, because he wasn’t fully there. So if he was fully there, it would have been a different fight. I don’t know if it would be a different outcome. We’d have to see,” said Lewis.
The only problems Joshua had against Ruiz Jr. had to do with his inability handle pressure, poor stamina and weak chin. Rather than it being a mental problem on Joshua’s part, it looked like a witches brew of inherent weaknesses that he’s always had in his game.
Lewis wants Joshua vs. Ruiz Jr. rematch in Mexico
“You know where I’d like to see that fight? In Mexico, baby,” said Lewis in talking about where he would like to see the Joshua vs. Ruiz rematch. “This is the first time in history we have a heavyweight champion from Mexico. I would have never thought that would be possible. To see Andy Ruiz do it in such fine fashion, why not? Give the fans in Mexico a chance to see the [Joshua-Ruiz Jr] fight, that they didn’t get a chance to see in New York to see it,” said Lewis.
“I believe the same thing you do. I don’t think he’s ready for him right now,” said Lewis about Adam Kownacki not being ready for Deontay Wilder. “He’s [Kownacki] a slugger. Obviously, he said he’d got a lot to work on. He wants to work on his boxing. So let’s see. You can never count anybody out, because they counted Andy Ruiz out, and he surprised a lot of people, and made a lot of people take their words back. So anything is possible when it comes to heavyweights,” said Lewis.
There’s next to no chance of the Joshua-Ruiz Jr. rematch taking place in Mexico. That was one of the first places where Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn ruled out for the rematch.