I just don't see it. Watching it again and I stand by my original scorecard. 1 - 6 Ruiz including 7th. Ruiz is plane a class above him. The let him off the hook comment by the coentators at the end of the 3rd about Ruiz is all wrong. Ruiz unlike Joshua didn't rush Josh after the knockdowns knowing Joshua was still dangerous. He showed both skill and better ring IQ by showing composure as well as a better skill set. His confidence got boosted, josh confidence fell and he stalked patiently for the rest of the fight. It wasn't just that Josh don't recover in 4 rounds from the 3rd, Ruiz just never stopped applying confident intelligent pressure and didn't allow Josh back into the fight. He had his number. Barring a big KO Wilder style I don't see how Josh has a chance. He doesnt have the explosiveness or one punch of Deontay and I don't see how he can land one. This wasn't a fluke, he was comprehensively outboxed. He didn't dominate the beginning, I felt Ruiz won the first close and Josh won the 2nd. But he didn't dominate, he won the 2nd by one big punch which Ruiz atleast attempted to counter. Ruiz wasn't hurt by it. The knockdowns in the third highlighted the class difference between them. Ruiz felt the power but he wasnt ready to be taken out. He still had his composure . Ruiz had Joshua more hurt than Ruiz was multiple times but stayed composed and used his boxing to not give Josh the chance to land a hail Mary power shot. Joshua rushed in assuming it was over for his knockdown. He made Joshua quit. In the rematch hell be fitter, more confident and composed to the occasion compared to this time. Joshua the opposite, just as much draining mucsle mass as today, knowing he was outclassed and chose to not continue last time, and having the pressure of doing it in front of your his home fans. Ruiz showed class. Clear number 3 in the division. I think Wilders athleticism and the way he holds his power when getting outboxed gets to Ruiz, but wouldn't be surprised to be wrong. Fury however holds him on a jab all night and I'd be shocked if I was wrong there but could be, who knows. Both have good ring IQ but Fury the better boxing ability esp. footwork IMO. I hadn't seen Ruiz in a few years and I mostly remember his fat and fast hands. Wasnt at all expecting him to be as good as he is. Amazing. People calling him C+ level are jokers. He just showed he was a class above Joshua is all. Just can't see how Josh can win the rematch. How long does he have to enact the rematch clause? Is it an immediate clause only or can Joshua take a tune up? I've a sneaking suspicion Josh doesn't take it. He was made to quit over 7 rounds not 1. Fair play if he does. What you reckon?
On point analysis. Joshua has no business vs. a guy like Ruiz. Ruiz will KTFO him again, maybe this time even more brutal they have to carry Joshua out on a stretcher. I hope he doesn't take the rematch. He might receive a career ending beatdown in front of his fans on home soil there. Joshua vs. Ruiz is simply a total mismatch. It wasn't even competitive from the third round. First two rounds were close, i had it 1-1 after 2, but from the third it was one-sided beatdown. Of course Joshua has a punchers chance in the rematch and he's fighting at home so the cards might be cooked if he survives 12 rounds but i can't see it.
Joshua already showed how he could win in the third. He put Ruiz down for the first time in his pro career. What he needs to do and will do next time is be more cautious. More of the same. Hes not going to be rushing in like that exposed again. He should've been more patient when Andy got up, he clearly misread the signals These are things that can be addressed
**** off. I didn't say that. I said he surprised me with how good he was and how he was a class above Joshua. So are Wilder and Fury. You think I'm comparing him to Ali yet I rank him at 3 lol. Joshua just ain't that good and I never thought he was. Always robotic, huge draining muscle mass and riding off an Olympic gold medal he didn't even deserve. (Savon beat him bad and the final was a bit of a gift.) He's just much better than I was expecting.
Joshua is overrated by brits , but that’s nothing new they tend to overrate their fighters and athletes in general. He is big , stiff robot , but he is levels above Ruiz and I’m pretty much certain he will beat ruiz in rematch. Also if he talks to wlad and learns the art of hugging he may become the best HW on the planet. He can def beat wilder who can’t box and also overrated featherfisted lard ass fury.
Well he did put Ruiz down on the canvas. Even after ruiz got up Joshua caught him with a huge shot that could have ended it by disorienting Ruiz even more.
AJ was outclassed badly, demolished emphatically. Rematch would end the same way if Ruiz doesn't lose his **** completely and let the fame go to his head. If he let's Mexico and the world make him feel like Godzilla, he might lose focus... but I still think he would cause Joshua all sorts of problems no matter how many times they fought. Faster hands Good power Good volume No fear of AJ Mexican style, happy to exchange
This is almost like a David Price - Tony Thompson situation. I don’t think Joshua will do any better in the rematch either.
Ruiz wasn’t badly hurt in third, Eyes were clear and legs were steady, and he threw back immediately. It was probably more of flash down just because it was the first real series’s of punches Ruiz had been hit with. He might’ve been buzzed a bit but that’s about it. If Joshua will never win a fight with Ruiz, but I do believe he’s got a chance in the rematch if he sticks to straight punches and fights as defensively as possible. Even then though, have to wonder if he’s got the gas tank do that for 12 against Ruiz.
Joshua could beat him in the rematch but hed have to pull a wlad special to do it. Use his reach and grab hold and lean on ruiz whenever he gets close. Lastly he will need a hometown ref that will allow it and not take points away for doing it.
I don't think he has the skill set to do that. Ruiz forced him into his fight and would again. He started to late to change much now IMO. Doesn't have the fundamentals.
Listen. Ruiz hurt Joshua when Joshua was trying to finish him. Joshua never recovered. Ruiz was fighting a hurt fighter from that point on. Before that, it looked like Joshua was about to finish him. Kovalev vs Alvarez was a better win for Alvarez. He just KO'd Kovalev, much more brutally, and without Kovalev hurting him. Alvarez set up the KO punch on a completely lucid, not hurt Kovalev. What happened in the rematch? Exactly. Now AJ has no chance? Lol. He actually put Ruiz down and landed good power shots that moved his head all over the place. But he's got no chance at all anymore and Ruiz is an ATG.
He has to use his height & reach keep him at the end of the jab, he did try but was getting countered by the guy with “laughably” the faster hands!