By Charles Brun: Anthony Joshua is saying he’s going to “whup” Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7th, and then he wants boxing fans to start bowing to acknowledge his greatness. He also says his previous loss to Ruiz last June was because he wasn’t motivated for the fight. The humble Joshua has disappeared, and it’s place is an arrogant, boastful, and excuse-giving person.
Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) and IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs) have a little more than two weeks to go before their December 7th rematch in Saudi Arabia. AJ’s goal is to avenge his 7th round knockout loss he suffered against Ruiz on June 1 in America.
Since Joshua didn’t want to fight in the U.S after his embarrassing loss, his fight won’t be seen by a lot of the American fans that watched Ruiz obliterate him last time.
Joshua: When I beat Ruiz, I want everyone to bow down
“I’m fighting the best man in the world now,” Joshua said to Sky Sports News about Ruiz. “I’m going to whup him, and show how great I am. They think he’s so great, so when I beat him I want everybody to bow to my feet and tell me how great I am.”
Joshua’s boxing fans are pleased to see him talking like this, as they see this bragging as a sign that he’s going to beat Ruiz. If you read it the other way, Joshua could be deluded, skyhigh on his inflated self-confidence, and heading for another big fall.
If Joshua really believes that his previous loss was a case of him lacking the motivation, he’s going to look bad if he loses a second time. Joshua would be better served understanding that he has serious holes in his game that can be exploited by guys like Ruiz.
Pretending that the problem was a result of a lack of motivation is a textbook case of self deception by Joshua. He didn’t lose due to him not taking Ruiz seriously as a threat. He lost because he doesn’t move his head to avoid shots, and he has stamina issues.
This could be Joshua’s cash out. Due to the way the rematch clause was written up before his first fight with Ruiz, it enables Joshua to get the financials in his favor. If Joshua loses this fight, he’s not going to be able to get a similar split with Joshua if he chooses to fight him a third time. He probably won’t though, because that would be a career ender if he loses three times in a row to Ruiz.
Hearn says Joshua must use his feet
“He’s got to use his feet more, he’s got to use his jab more, and he’s not going to hook with him,” said Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn to Fighthub in giving him fight tips to beat Ruiz. “Don’t put your chin in the air recklessly. It’s straightforward things. It’s not rocket science in beating Andy Ruiz. What’s tough to do is doing it. You know, it’s all very well to say, ‘keep it long, back you go,’ but you’ve got to keep going over time.
“Can he do that over 12 rounds? I think he’s got to try and take him out. I’m just fascinated by the fight, and I think the whole world will be. Who knows what will happen? He may be in a great place, he may be complacent,” said Hearn about Ruiz. “He’s now rich. He’s a competitor, he’s a boxing guy. I don’t expect him to start taking it easy,” said Hearn in talking about Ruiz.
It’s going to be hard for Joshua to use his feet over a long period of time, because he’s not mobile guy. Joshua looked gassed to the point where he needed to sit down after running 100 meter sprint in training camp. That’s not something that should tire a person out to that level. Running hills is something that would cause one to need to sit down, but not sprints. Joshua doesn’t have the cardio he needs to be able to move for 12 rounds.
Joshua has got to execute – Hearn
“He’s got a great opportunity Ruiz. If he beats Joshua, he could go on and be in a big mega-fight,” said Hearn. “It’s all over the world. There’s a lot in play in this fight. I think he’s in a great place, and I think he’s in a much better place than he was before the first fight with his preparation, but he has suffered his first defeat,” said Hearn about Joshua. ”
“It’s going to take a lot to come through that, but he’s excited. A little bit bewildered. He wanted to fight Wilder. Everyone was talking about it. No one was talking about the Andy Ruiz fight. [Jarrell] Miller failed three drug tests. He’s got an opponent that everyone is telling him, ‘Ah, this is going to be an easy fight.’
“He knew this was going to be a real fight. In terms of his motivation right now, it’s 10 times what it was June the first. That doesn’t mean your going to win just because you’re motivated. You’ve got to execute. And one thing that he’s [Joshua] good at is executing the game plan, and I believe he’ll do that in Saudi,” said Hearn about Joshua.
Hearn makes it sound so easy in talking about what Joshua needs to do, but it’s not likely he’s going to be able to follow those instructions.