The conspiracy theories have been rebuffed - no panic attack - no KO in sparring. AJ’s Reasons behind the Ruiz loss - a lack of passion for the fight after Miller’s ban, while being left in the cold by Wilder/Fury. Whatever the reasons, Ruiz was being talked about as a top three heavyweight after his shock win. But now that AJ has given his side of the story & now that he has something to fight for in the rematch, is the Ruiz Bandwagon losing momentum?
He still got clipped and beat up for 3 rounds. I think he got overconfident after he out him down and never recovered when he got hurt. But it has to play on his mind slightly, hope the fight happens
He lost because Ruiz is a better fighter plain and simple. It's not like ruiz didn't give him a chance to get back into the fight. Ruiz destroyed him and he will do again. Joshua needs to drop to euro level for a couple of years and see if a new trainer can help him because Mcracken has been exposed as much as him. If Carl Froch fought a super middle version of Ruiz he would have beat him by eating his shots for 11 rounds and stopping him when he gassed. Tactically Mcracken is no good
On the night he was a better fighter - but if AJ wasn’t right mentally, that plays a big part. Now AJ has admitted that he wasn’t up for the fight - surely a pumped up well prepared AJ is at least evens for the rematch.
On the night my ass If he couldn't get himself "up for it" after being put on his ass by a greasy piglet I don't know how he ever will. Listen Anthony Joshua just isn't very good, he hits hard he has big muscles and that's about as far as it goes. It got him so far but the jig is up now.
Sometimes a fighter can be all wrong for you. This could be the case here. However pre fight I had said about AJ’s camp. It was a disgrace, partying in Miami, messing around on boats, playing basketball; there just didn’t seem to be much training going on. Obviously aesthetically looking at Ruiz he’s just some fat man and he’s probably took him lightly because of that too. He had started to think he was invincible. Nobody is. All the great heavyweights took losses. That loss will be his catalyst for greatness or the start of a massive downfall.
He needed the loss way earlier in his career He's 30 now and has huge flaws: Weak/poor jab Poor on the back foot Poor stamina Leaky defence Vulnerable inside Look don't get me wrong when he's coming forward at mid range he's great but you take him out of that phase of a fight and he become very lacklustre. It's not just the Ruiz fight he's been stagnant about 3 years now. I'll be amazed if he can turn it around.
Being able to hit hard - not such a bad weapon for a heavyweight! Two fighters don’t always create the same fight. Interesting you mention Froch - vs Groves 1, Froch was all over the place, & similar to AJ, looked mentally uncooked. An unconvincing win with the help of the ref. The rematch - completely different, Froch dominating from the start behind the jab with a devastating KO to finish. Maybe history will repeat itself?
So after he gets chinned by ruiz again (it's happening) he's still "world level" is he? Who you gonna put him in with? Fury? Wilder? Ruiz to KO him a 3rd time? Ruiz ain't even world level. I mean he may pass for it in this shitty era but that's about all. Joshua is gonna be damaged goods, ruiz is gonna trash talk him this time, rub it in then smash him up again. It's gonna be even more humiliating. I'm telling you AJ is close to becoming the new David Price, he loses quickly after Ruiz 2 and he's Price 2.0 and will be propping up callum smith undercards.
The difference was Froch found a way into the fight, and it was the aforementioned Groves gassing. Froch was about to knock Groves out at the end of the first fight and he knew it and took that into the rematch. Joshua quit vs ruiz, that's what he's taking into the rematch.
If he loses yes he is still current World level Most fighters take a defeat or two He will get back in the mix if he really wants to down the line He will have to take a fight or two with fringe contenders, maybe even a euro guy But thats a world level guy using a euro level guy for practice Not both fighting for the same goal And the Price comparison is hilarious One was chinned on numerous occasions by journeymen and unfortunately has to still carry on fighting to pay the bills The other has over 50 mill in the bank and won 3 world titles and currently lost albeit badly to a former top 10 fighter Hmm
He’d just been knocked down twice in that round - after never fully recovering from the damage taken in R3. Bit harsh to say he quit - & disrespectful to Ruiz who fought the fight of his life. Punches win fights & AJ took far too much punishment to the point he had nothing left. Fair play to Ruiz. Poor preparation from AJ - mentally as much as physically. But people need a reality check - Ruiz is being lorded up after just his second mainstream fight - the first ending with a loss. While AJ on the other hand is now on the same level as David Price. Give me a break.
