The thing is, in their first fight Ruiz thoroughly out boxed Joshua. It wasn't a lucky punch. He boxed AJ's ears off. All this talk of Ruiz looks fatter or skinnier or AJ has a funny look in his eye ignores the fact Ruiz proved to be the more skilled fighter in the first fight. Ruiz had AJs number. AJ had no answer for what Ruiz was doing in there. Skills made the difference in that first fight. AJ is going to have adapt big time in this second fight and attempt to fight a different way. Or...he will have to come into the fight with super human PED strength. This was not Rahman Lewis I or Ali Cooper I. No lucky punch. Outboxed. AJ has his work cut out for him.
Tell me about it. https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...ctory-over-aj-was-in-fact-not-a-fluke.635845/
AJ changed himself too much for the rematch. You can't turn from Mike Tyson to Mohammed Ali, you are who you are. Trying to transform yourself from one type of boxer to another is a historic disaster. So this AJ with the reduced muscle mass will have less power and less stamina. Think what happened to Roy Jones when he stripped off 20lbs of muscle from heavyweight to light heavyweight. All that cardio in the gym won't translate into a fight. You can't turn a chicken into a goose. AJ's best chance was to just be himself, and fight smarter. Ruiz is only losing a little bit of weight, and it's not muscle but fat. Even when he was fat you can see how muscular he was under those layers of fat. Ruiz will not lose any strength or power from his weight loss, his weight will be just right. Ruiz will stop AJ quicker this time around.
I don't know who will win Part of me wants AJ to win and eventually see the blockbuster fights with Wilder/Fury However, I believe if Andy wins? Then the unification fight will be much easier to make I fancy the upset again, but great athletes perform when they are under pressure and i do think Joshua will come extremely prepared I normally don't sit on the fence like this, but it's a really tough fight to call! I lean to Ruiz, but if Aj makes the right adjustments, he can win a relatively safe and boring fight
When Ruiz comes to the ring *hungry* you're probably fighting two people in that ring. One wants the belt, one wants to get some food and you're not letting him go get it.
Full respect man - excellent standards right there. Society has become a joke. You made my day, glad people like you exist.
That's the life of pretty much any high paid sports star (maybe minus the love child). If you were in the same position with women throwing themselves at you, you would do the same. Ruiz has probably screwed around since becoming champion.
When I saw AJ doing the backwards treadmill and chasing the chicken a few weeks after the loss, I knew that anger and vengeance was on his mind.
I don't know man, compared to Wilder he is like Johnny Carson with the mic in his hand. Just kidding obviously, and he isn't as natural as someone like Fury, but compared to the cardboard box corporate responses you get from AJ, or the bumbling rehearsed Bomb squad shtick, I'd say he is doing alright.
Thats not true... dont paint everyone with the same brush... you'd be suprised how many stay true to their character. Not everyone is a weak as you assume.
The OP has a point in that some fighters just implode after their big win. Remember Buster Douglas? But it doesn't some like Ruiz is losing it.
