Fans keep talking about how AJ`s weight will be different for his fight v Ruiz and how this could impact on the outcome but surely fundamentals are the most important aspect of a boxing match. Is weight really that important in a heavyweight bout if you have trained properly?
More to do with mobility and endurance Joshua slimming down, In theory, should help with him moving more on his feet and also be able to have more stamina. It will work with the blueprint to beating Ruiz (outside punching and movement once Ruiz closes distance)
In AJs case he has an issue of too much muscle on his frame which affects a few attributes: stamina, mobility and flexibility. However for some fighters additional weight is a positive because it increases punching power. As mass x speed = force. An increase in mass can in a way that doesnt affect the speed of the punch or any other attribute. Lead to a better HW boxer with a heavier punch. If Ruiz Jr was too lose a lot of weight people would be concerned. A number of other boxers at HW have lost alot of weight and this has led to career poor performances. @CST80 @Rumsfeld @IntentionalButt @Scar - You got any examples of fighters who lost a load of weight at HW and had career worst performances? In conclusion, whether weight loss is good or bad at HW depends on the fighter. It is a call on a case by case basis
This is not a great example, but it's worth remembering. Bowe lost quite a lot of weight for his rematch against Golota, and despite all the low blows and knocking down Golota in the fourth round, he looked terrible in general. Again, this isn't a good example, but one probably worth noting. In Joshua's case, I expect his gameplan to be survival and lasting the full 12. I'm confident the corruption will be in full-force favoring Joshua in Saudi Arabia. If he lasts the full 12, he's getting the decision for sure.
Not at HW, but Chris Byrd lost a ton of weight and looked like a walking skeleton. Also, as mentioned already, Riddick Bowe for the Golota rematch.
Byrd and Roy Jones lost a tonne of muscle mass when they stepped down from HW to LHW. Muscle is the hardest to gain as well as lose so you can only imagine how they killed themselves to slim down; losing fat...water and THEN neccesary muscle just to cut weight but even rehydration will only see you gain mostly water weight with zero muscle regained. Going up is easier than going down. In Joshua's case I dont think it will hinder him and he had alot of excess muscle which was redundant for him anyway.
I've long thought that Joshua needed to lose a lot of muscle mass. He's tall, but his frame isn't that broad compared to someone like Wlad. 240-245 was way too heavy for him.
Muscle is not hard to lose-stopping weight lifting helps, & more immediately just have a large calorie deficit & skip meals & anyone can lose muscle quickly. Though it is not healthy to do it that way. And only some people benefit from it-they may be too bulky at HW, or cannot lose enough fat + dehydrate enough to make Cruiserweight or LHW.