Anthony Joshua says he’ll “expose” Andy Ruiz

Image: Anthony Joshua says he'll "expose" Andy Ruiz
By Boxing News - 09/04/2019 - Comments

By Robert Adams: Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says he’s going to “expose” the weaknesses in the game of Andy Ruiz Jr. in their rematch on December 7. Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) has had a lot of time to digest his 7th round knockout loss to Ruiz Jr. from last June, and he realizes where he went wrong. Better yet, Joshua knows what Ruiz’s weaknesses are, and he’s ready to take full advantage of them.

Joshua and Ruiz will be fighting their rematch in Saudi Arabia on the 7th of December.

AJ took the wrong fork in the road in the 3rd round, and it led to him getting knocked down 4 times in the fight. This time, Joshua vows not to repeat the same mistakes he made on June 1. Joshua plans on being the one with his hand raised at the end of the fight. Joshua wants what’s his. Namely, the IBF, WBA & WBO heavyweight titles that are currently in Ruiz’s possession.

Winning back the IBF/WBA/WBO titles means everything to Joshua

To win back those belts would mean everything to Joshua. It keeps his career alive, and puts him in the enviable position to face the winner of the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

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Joshua: I know some of Ruiz’sĀ weaknesses

“I know some of the attributes he possesses, and some of the weaknesses. I have to go about exposing him a little bit more,” said Joshua to Sky Sports about Ruiz Jr. during Wednesday’s news conference in Saudi Arabia. “A little blip should not change you as a person. You should stay consistent with who you are. I can become familiar with him, and I know what I’m in for. And, I know what I’m capable of. I know what he’s capable of,” said Joshua.

Ruiz Jr. and Joshua got a chance to look each other in the eyes during the face off for their press conference on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, and it was interesting to watch. Ruiz, 29, didn’t reveal much from the brief stare down. He might as well have been looking at an old friend, as he didn’t show any sense of animosity or bad will.

For Ruiz, it’s less personal, because he destroyed Joshua so thoroughly last time out in New York. Ruiz isn’t the one with a chip on his shoulder right now. It’s Joshua that has the bad blood for what happened to him. He still hasn’t fully owned the loss, since he thinks it was a “lucky punch” on Ruiz’s part that did him in. In boxing, there are no “lucky” punches. It’s a sport where a fighter can lose at any time no matter how talented they are. It didn’t look like Ruiz’s victory was based on luck last time out.

Joshua: I had Ruiz down and I could have been smarter

“The first time I had him down [in the first fight], I could have been smarter. These little things you think about in your head,” said Joshua about knocking Ruiz down in round 3.Ā  “Now I meet him eye-to-eye again and, subconsciously, the clock is ticking and I start thinking more and more about the fight.”

Joshua would have needed to go away from his basic instincts if he’d not gone for the knockout in round 3 after putting Ruiz down, and he wasn’t going to do that. AJ miscalculated how hurt Ruiz was after he dropped him. You cant blame Joshua for being fooled into thinking that Ruiz was ready to be taken, because he’d been hit with a major shot.

The punch that Joshua bowled Ruiz over with would have knocked out most heavyweights in the division. In the rematch, if Joshua elects to box Ruiz if/when he hurts him, he could be making a blunder. Letting Ruiz stay in the fight will increase the odds that he’ll outlast Joshua, and get to him during the later rounds.

Ruiz says ‘The Mexican blood” in him will help him beat Joshua again

 

“He’ll bring his game, I’ll bring mine,” said Ruiz to Sky Sports.Ā “I said I would win, I said I would pull off an upset but nobody believed me except my team. Having that confidence and fire inside you? If you want to accomplish something, you’re going to do it. Joshua is focused to get these belts back but so am I. The Mexican blood in me will [help me to] pull it off,” said Ruiz.

Joshua didn’t have the usual smirk on his face during face off

The normal smirk that we see on Joshua’s face during his face off with his opponents was missing today. Joshua looked angry during his stare down with Ruiz, and he looked ready to spring to action.

It’s believe that Ruiz will go after Joshua a lot earlier in the fight than he did last time they fought. Ruiz waited until the 3rd round last time before he went on the attack, but he might not be so patient in the rematch. Ruiz knows Joshua’s weaknesses, and he’s going to be looking to back him up and nail him with combinations. Joshua looked very angry during the face off.

That could be acting or it’s possible he really feels upset, but his loss was his fault. Ruiz took advantage of Joshua’s natural aggressiveness, as he’s a counter puncher. He’s at his best when his opponents are attacking him. The theory is that Joshua will use his jab, and stay on the outside all night to keep Ruiz bottled up. That’s probably not going to work. Hopefully, Joshua has a plan-B that he can use, because he may get bowled over if he only jabs.

Joshua’s stamina is a question mark going into the rematch. His trainer Rob McCracken is supposed to be working on fixing this area. But thus far not been able to improve that flaw in Joshua’s game, and Ruiz be looking to take advantage of that.