I thought AJs best chance of winning the rematch is if Ruiz blows it and becomes unfocused due the the success of winning the first fight. Don’t look like that happened does it, and I can’t see how Ruiz coming in lighter and in better shape will hurt him. AJ is in trouble, he was out gunned, out fought, could dish it out but not take the punishment back. Credit for the balls he is showing getting straight back in there though.
I am really looking forward to this fight as it will answer a lot of questions . It’s a massive gamble for AJ but from a business perspective one he had little option but to take. Was it an off night for AJ or is Ruiz his kryptonite ? Joshua seems to have changed a few things most notability coming down in weight , that may improve his cardio but will do little to improve the chin issues .i am not sure whether the addition of a padman will be significant and for me you either have total confidence in you coach or get a new one, but I am not in a position to fully evaluate the “team” dynamics.
The issue I have with this line of thinking is the idea that Ruiz was capable of exploiting weaknesses that Klitschko, Whyte, Povetkin, Parker and so on couldn't. I've always thought it's important to consider that the same fighter doesn't turn up time after time. It's impossible really to assume that someone in a sport as physically demanding as boxing will year after year, fight after fight always be prepared in the same way, to the same extent. Fighters should be allowed an off night to be explained by that, rather than every single slip up being evidence of some considerable weakness.
Watching Canelo last night, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in their styles. I’m in no way comparing their skill levels in which Canelo is streets ahead, but rather the way they apply pressure with their footwork, their high guard with the blocking & parrying, leaning to the side to bait the hook but pivoting themselves brilliantly to throw the quick counter.
Nearly every top fight AJ has faced has shown that he has weaknesses. Ruiz just took it to the next level, AJ had no answer for the speed and accurate combination punching. He was in the **** pretty much every time Ruiz opened up. Added to this, Ruiz took AJs hardest punches, yet many believe he will get blasted out in the rematch? if AJ has changed his style a bit and introduced some new stuff at a lighter weight, surely he needed more fights to get used to this, I don’t think he has had enough time to change anything significant. If he has it will be pretty impressive that’s for sure.
watched it sober, no comms and fully expecting to see it how i saw it first time around with Joshua outclassed. Wasn't the case. I see Joshua winning and people rubbishing Ruiz afterwards...
I'm making a broader point. For example, Lennox Lewis was dogged for years over accusations that he was chinny on the basis that McCall and Rahman stopped him. Now, did those stoppages mean Lewis had a serious weakness with his chin? Or, did the fact that he took shots and never went down, (and indeed, ended up winning) against demonstrably big punchers in the form of Tyson, Tua, Briggs, Klitschko, Holyfield and Bruno provide evidence that actually his chin wasn't that bad at all? Does someone repeatedly citing evidence of Lewis' weakness become proved right on the occasion it seems to happen, or do the cumulative times when it doesn't appear to be a weakness (quite the opposite in fact) say otherwise? Nobody doesn't have any weaknesses, and of course Ruiz could win again. As you say, it's heavyweight boxing. But bar the Klitschko fight Joshua really didn't lose many rounds, never mind look close to losing fights, before he ran into Ruiz. I'm not convinced that suddenly Ruiz was able to demonstrate so clearly that Joshua has all these obvious faults as much as I think Joshua had an off night.
A lighter Joshua will be a better version in my opinion. But a lighter Ruiz, who needs that extra bulk will not be me thinks. And I still think a lighter version of Joshua beats a heavier version of Ruiz if that makes sense. Could be the case that a 255 version of the blob gets wiped out against the 242lb version of the bodybuilder. Time will tell, some fighters perform better at heavier or lighter weights for certain opponents. That's why the heavyweight division is so intriguing.
What in the hell does that mean? Do you pay a monthly subscription in return for which you receive a sky sports feed directly into your living room?
Oh. That makes more sense than your silly season ticket crap I guess. Yes. I pay for sports on TV. Via virgin as it works out cheaper to get Sky + BT Sport
Big Josh could quite conceivably be a mentally shot fighter at this point. His needle is all over the dial. add to the long list of attributes lacking Chin Gas tank Defence Head movement Mental toughness and you have a recipe for disaster stepping in against the guy who exposed all his flaws so effortlessly and so ruthlessly first time out still think there’s a good chance he finds a way out before December (or his team do at least)
If Tony Dosh PPV cannot go in there and absolutely flatten Rice Pudding Ruiz Jnr then it is simply time to retire. There are no excuses and the only reason he would be defeated by a small baked potato on legs for a 2nd time is that he is not very good.
