By Tim Royner: David Haye sees good things happening for Anthony Joshua in his rematch with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2 1/2 weeks from now on December 7 in Saudi Arabia.
Haye attributes Joshua’s loss to him looking at Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs) on the scales for the weigh-in last June, and writing him off due to his physique. Joshua has now learned his lesson that he can’t judge his opponents on what their physique looks like.
Haye believes that Ruiz’s win was entirely because Joshua overlooked him due to his physique. This time, Joshua won’t be judging him on his chubby exterior, and will see him for the fighter that he is. Of course, if Haye is wrong about the reasons for why Joshua lost the first time around, then he’s going to be in for an unpleasant surprise. Boxing isn’t body-building. If it was, Joshua would win all his fights.
Sometimes in sports, the athlete with the better physique doesn’t win. We saw that with Haye losing to Tony Bellew, who had a pear-shape body, but he was still able to knock him out twice.
Haye stands to gain potentially if Joshua wins
It’s in Haye’s best interest if Joshua beats Ruiz, as there’s a chance in the future that Dereck Chisora could meet up with him. Chisora (32-9, 23 KOs) will first need to beat Oleksandr Usyk (17-0, 13 KOs) to take his WBO mandatory position. If Chisora wins that fight, then, he’ll get a title shot. It’s better for Haye and Chisora if Joshua is the one that holds the heavyweight titles rather than American Ruiz.
Joshua knows there’s too much at stake in rematch
“It’s not good, I’ll tell you that. It’s definitely not good,” said Haye to IFL TV when asked what happens if Joshua loses to Ruiz again. “I don’t think that’ll be the case. There’s too much at stake, and he knows there’s too much at stake. The first time around everything was at stake, but I’m not sure that he knew it,” said Haye.
Joshua is taking the fight seriously just as he did last time. He wasn’t good enough to beat Ruiz the last time he fought, and he may not be good enough this time. It would be in Haye’s best interest to keep his mind open to a fight between Chisora and Ruiz in the future. That’s if Chisora beats Usyk, which is highly doubtful.
It’s not going to help Haye him talking about how Joshua will win. He’s got to be able to do it on his own, and he’ll need to change a lot for him to beat Ruiz. The last time they fought, Joshua’s chin and naturally poor stamina were exposed. Those are flaws in Joshua’s game that he’s shown in the past, but Ruiz took advantage of them.
Haye: Joshua judged Ruiz by his looks last time
“He [Joshua] just thought, ‘Look at Andy Ruiz on the scales.’ Now he knows, looks can be deceiving. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Andy Ruiz may not look like the most devastating heavyweight on the planet, but when the bell rings, he’s got a massive heart, and he’s got the whole of Mexico behind him.
“One thing you can guarantee with a proud Mexican is he’s going to fight, and he’s going to get back up and he’s going to keep swinging.
“That’s what happened in the first fight. So Anthony Joshua is going to need to raise his game higher than he’s raised before. He needs to be mentally focused and sharp, which is [what he is]. All noises from the camp are he’s better than ever. So I’m expecting a Joshua victory,” said Haye in predicting a win for AJ over Ruiz.
🗣️ Remembering when Anthony Joshua’s fans chanted ‘who are ya?’ and ‘you fat b****rd’ at Andy Ruiz Jr during the weigh-in. Ruiz simply smiled in response…
[📽️ @DAZN_USA] pic.twitter.com/4gnduGOS3c
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) November 19, 2019
Ruiz’s hand speed and combination would give Joshua problems whether he judges him or not. Haye is basically discrediting Ruiz by saying that he won because Joshua overlooked him because of his physique. I don’t think that’s the entire reason why Joshua lost. That’s wishful thinking on Haye’s part. If it was that easy, then Joshua should be able to trounce Ruiz in the rematch, but that’s not likely to be the case.
Chisora vs. Usyk negotiations moving along says Haye
“Yeah, he’s moving in the right direction. Hopefully, we should have some news soon,” said Haye about the negotiations between heavyweights Dereck Chisora and Oleksandr Usyk.
This is a risky fight for Chisora, because he’s facing a talented form unified cruiserweight and 2012 Olympic gold medalist in Usyk. But this is easily the quickest route for Chisora to take to get a title shot. If Chisora wins, he’ll be fighting for a world title possibly in 2020. A loss for Chisora keeps him where he’s at.