If there was nothing wrong with him, what on earth was going on around him pre fight? Never noticed when watching the fight live but it was bizarre when you watch it back.
If AJ would of finished Ruiz in round 3, nobody would even mention any of this. He looked fine and was throwing bombs as usual. No issues at all.
If there were some serious issues with AJ that night, why not talk about it afterwards? Why keep it a secret, if that could explain why he lost in such an embarrassing way?
Think he’s played it right even if there was something wrong. Starting to make excuses can go really wrong for your career and sponsors etc, just ask David Haye.
I don't think he ever recovered from the temple shot and that was the reason behind "why am I feeling like this" comments. He was also strangely on the back foot from round one, Ruiz was center ring and walking him down. His behaviour post fight was/is even more bizarre. There is no doubt that with Wilder and Fury both tied up until 2022 this rematch is the biggest fight available, Ruiz is now a huge star in Mexico and America both of which are massive PPV markets for boxing.
What AJ is used to is when he gets clipped he usually takes a couple of rounds off to get his legs back...Ruiz didnt let his do that The blueprint is there for everyone to see,i honestly believe its the end game for AJ
If you compare Joshua from Ruiz to how he was against Povetkin in the first rounds of each fight there really isn't much difference at all. Joshua fights like that. Consider that Ruiz was 20 pounds heavier than him and showed his hand speed very early on, it is completely in character for Joshua to be on the backfoot so much so early.
Posted the next day that Tony Dosh is finished if he was not injured or ill - we have the new David Price when hit as all energy, heart, desire completely leaves the body.
He got wobbled by Whyte - talked of as a top 5 fighter, recovered and won. Got put down by Klitschko, arguably still no1 heavyweight at the time, recovered and won. He’s been relatively untroubled in all his other fights. This time he got caught and didn’t recover - credit to Ruiz for that, but let’s not get carried away with the trash talk - he lost his ‘0’ & with with the exception of Marciano - just like every other heavyweight champion.
I could dissect the resume but it’s been done to death. You’re right about him being like other heavyweight champs who have lost their ‘0’. We’ve all seen champs getting starched with a big shot. What @Jurgen is alluding to is the mental aspect of the defeat. He didn’t ‘quit’ but he’d ‘had enough’ and didn’t want it anymore. The will and desire to continue had been smashed out of him and that in itself is staggering and shouldn’t be dismissed. Whether is was something that happened in training camp or just before the fight, facts are he was in that ring and it was a fight. Him no longer wanting to fight is something he may never quite recover from mentally.
I think Jurgen can talk for himself - as long as he uses the word ‘pudding’ in every sentence. Simple - Joshua couldn’t handle Ruiz that night, the main reason being Ruiz fighting the fight of his life & Joshua being below par - whatever the reason. Like you say - so many people have there opinions as to why - to the point that the potential psychological effects of the loss are now being considered. But I suppose that’s what this forum is for. But to come to the conclusion that he’s now ‘heartless’, with ‘no desire’ - the ‘new David Price’ - give me a break.
I see no reason to think Joshua was "below par" against Ruiz. He just came up against a new fighter with a new style and certain strengths, including excellent hand speed. Joshua landed some big punches, including a vinatge AJ two-punch combination that had Ruiz down within 7 or 8 minutes of action. Ruiz had never been decked before. If Joshua wins the rematch he should be credited with improvement probably, rather than thinking he was below par in the first fight. I don't think the standard he set against Takam, Parker and Povetkin was any different to what he was doing with Ruiz. It just turned out that Ruiz's style (and chin !) matched up far better for Ruiz than most of us had imagined. The flaws he exploited in Joshua were the same ones we've being going on about for years now. in my opinion.
