By Allan Fox: Errol Spence Jr. says former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has a “glass jaw” and that he sees Andy Ruiz Jr. knocking him out again in their rematch on December 7 in Saudi Arabia. Joshua is going against conventional wisdom in rushing headlong straight into the rematch Ruiz without a tune-up.
Ruiz Jr. (33-1, 22 KOs) knocked Joshua down four times before stopping him in the seventh round on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The loss had such an effect on Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing that he wanted no part of letting him return to the U.S for the rematch.
You know what they say… He who laughs last laughs hardest 💠#StayHungry pic.twitter.com/FBRuAE8h9V
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) July 10, 2019
Has Joshua’s loss to Ruiz has sapped Hearn’s confidence in him?
Before Joshua lost to Ruiz, Hearn had talked about how AJ was going to become a huge star in the United States, and create pressure on WBC champion Deontay Wilder to fight him. Hearn has given up on the idea of trying to turn Joshua into a star in the U.S.
Joshua underestimated Ruiz says Spence
“I think they kind of underestimated Ruiz,” said Spence to secondsout in talking about Joshua and his training team. “With his boxing amateur background and things like that [they underestimated Ruiz]. Anthony Joshua has been having a history of getting knocked down and or getting hurt. Even in the amateurs, and even in sparring rumors, and things like that. It’s been known that he has somewhat of a glass chin. Ruiz took advantage of that,” said Spence.
What Spence says about Joshua overlooking Ruiz Jr. is what a lot of boxing fans have been saying since his loss. Unfortunately for Joshua, the fans are going to continue to say that until he proves himself. It’s not just a case of Joshua overlooking Ruiz.
The shot that hurt Joshua in the third round from Ruiz would have had him in bad shape even if he’s taken the fight more serious. Joshua getting hurt came down to him not having the punch resistance or the stamina to exchange with Ruiz.
Joshua was hurt in the following fights:
- Dillian Whyte
- Wladimir Klitschko
- Alexander Povetkin
- Carlos Takam
Those are the only good fighters that Joshua has fought as a pro. It’s hard to count Joseph Parker among the good fighters Joshua has faced, because the referee that worked the Joshua-Parker fight neutralized Parker completely by preventing him from fighting on the inside. That really wasn’t a fight. It looked like a sparring match.
Spence predicts: Ruiz beats Joshua again
“Congratulations to him. That was an amazing fight,” said Spence about the Joshua vs. Ruiz fight last June. He [Ruiz] made history. He’s getting a lot of love. He had like 800,000 followers on Instagram right after that. So much respect to him. Keep doing your thing. You know I’m proud [of you]. I think he does it again,” said Spence in predicting another knockout win for Ruiz Jr. over Joshua.
Spence is predicting another win for Ruiz. If that prediction comes true, Joshua is going to be badly in need of help with his career. It would be a good idea for Joshua to sack his entire training team, and stat from scratch. Joshua is still under contract with Matchroom Boxing, but he needs management that know the sport well. One can argue that Hearn made a colossal mistake in letting Joshua fight a talented guy like Ruiz on two week’s notice. A good promoter would have seen the risk of putting Joshua in with Ruiz, and they would’t have let it happen. Likewise, a top promoter would be assertive with Joshua, and let him know that he shouldn’t be fighting Ruiz in an immediate rematch.