Joshua v Ruiz Press conference

He hasn't won the lottery. He fought his way to been the hw champ.
If he beats a.j again he will carry on making big money. He could end up been the canelo of the hw division

 

I’m not convinced Joshua did earn his gift bud, he was still developing, beating domestic level opponents. Dillian Whyte was domestic level at the time coming off a 2 year ban. Ideally, he would have had a few more fights before fighting for a world title. The opportunity fell on his lap. I’m not discrediting anything he’s done, that’s not my intention. My point is, his (premature) success was out of circumstance, as was Ruiz’s.

 

He can be as quiet or loud as he wants, HE'S the champ, and he will KO AJ again and go about his business

 

You’re absolutely right imo. Agreed.

 

In an era with multiple governing bodies, frequently vacated titles and interim/regular belts, how many heavyweights truly earn a shot?

Dillian Whyte would be the obvious exception, but it's common these days for fighters to manoeuvre their way to a title shot without taking a top 10 scalp on their way. If you hang around and play the ratings game long enough, eventually you'll get a shot of some description.

Joshua deliberately targeted a weak paper champion. Ruiz got a call as a late sub after the original fight fell through. There's a fair bit of serendipity about both scenarios, without either being out of the ordinary.

 

That is exactly how AJ speaks. Making zero sense at all.

I wish he would stop trying to act like some modern day philosopher. Just be fckin normal.

 

That was my point, but you articulated it much better than me.

 

I cannot stand him personally. Totally fake and ungenuine, he has been good for boxing but notnsure how much it has been capitalised on.

For me he is a character actor who has been very well scripted

 

It's fun to steal other people's opinions, reword them, and take the credit

 

Athlete turned boxer imo, he’s undoubtedly a tough lad but he’s not a fighter. His demeanour is that of an athlete too, he talks like he’s a 200m runner or something. All this humble, philosophical role model type chit chat.

 

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Weirdly, I remember Peter Fury labelling Charles Martin as one of the most dangerous in the division when he was champion!

 

I just don't see Joshua winning unless Ruiz has a complete mare, turns up having clearly not trained and phones on a terrible effort.

If a half decent version of Ruiz turns up Joshua can't beat him.

 

I disagree to an extent I think he is a fighter in that he has a nasty streak and will throw down, he didn't cower against ruiz as much as he looked clueless. I'd say he's an athletic fighter who's not a boxer.

That's a mouthful

 

Having a nasty streak and being a fighter isn’t the same thing imo. You can get used to having that size and exerting that size to get the things you want via intimidation without having to actually throw a punch. A fighter doesn’t hand his belts over at a presser so the other lad can pose with them like some fan.

I think Joshua is an athlete (probably could have applied himself to most sports), who learned to box. It’s one dimensional but combined with his natural attributes it makes him one of the best heavyweights in the world.

Is he a fighter...i’m not convinced. He isn’t a bottle job, he’s competitive but there’s a line with him now that he’s not willing to go beyond, in that he wants to box but he wants to avoid a war at all costs. To give you an example of a genuine British fighter, look at Liam Smith. I’m not comparing attributes, i’m comparing attitudes....Smith absolutely buzzes off having a war. He can box, but if he’s getting smashed up and out of his depth he smiles and comes right back at you. Fighters are moulded by their environment growing up, long before they step into a gym.