The truth is Ruiz was a stand out amateur with great handspeed. The truth is Joshua hasn't fought a heavy weight like Ruiz that is a proud Mexican with speed and skillz. Skills pay the bills Jushoa has pop but no chin couldn't cope with the fuselage of punches. The truth is Joshua got lucky because Ruiz got careless and got caught. The truth is Ruiz got him back because Joshua got confident and got caught. The truth is Joshua doesn't recover as well as Ruiz. The truth is Ruiz has the power to hurt Joshua.
Seriously. We can't have that on ESB! Our ordinary mediocre posters can't quite grasp this sort of analysis! To them Ruiz is a monster and Joshua is a fraud and that's all there is to it. NOT!
So by your logic, AJ will be in a worse a situation than in the first fight. Going into the rematch, AJ will have only fought 7 rounds in well over a year and being stopped in that fight. Ruiz finishes AJ before the 5th.
Is this supposed to be an excuse for Joshua? Because if that's the case then I can come up with excuses for any fighter who has ever lost a boxing match where they were up early in a fight. "If Joshua stuck to his normal way of fighting"!!!??? He did. The greats go in for the kill and take their time doing it. Mistakes happen in boxing. What Joshua did was no different than what many boxers have done past or present-underestimate how hurt a guy was and clumsily going in for the finish. Nobody called Ruiz a monster or big puncher before their fight. Not any true boxing fan. Quit listening to the fanatics. Fans knew that Ruiz could box, but thought that he would be outboxed to a decision. Ruiz exposed Joshua for not having an inside game in the end.
The lay off would have been a 6 month one rather than 9, Joshua wouldn’t have a last minute replacement and he is now a challenger again so no more complacency.
Still, all of what you said does not negate only 7 rounds in over a year and getting destroyed. Add into the mix the psychological effects of the KO. He is worse of going into the rematch than the first fight. He will be beaten from the opening round until he is stopped mid way through.
Some boxers are never the same again after being physically and psychologically picked apart in the manner AJ was. The rematch will be very telling.
I agree that it was a winnable fight for Joshua and he may well still win the rematch. He's going to need a different plan though, because going to war with Ruiz at close quarters is just going to end badly for him.
I think we've seen just about every excuse for AJ getting KO'd by now I think from being drugged, hit at back of the head to panic attacks. Face it Andy Ruiz got knocked down , got back up & then systematically totally destroyed Joshua. Give the man credit As for the rematch, it depends on AJ Does he shake off the KO , come out & fight like a champion? or does he do a Hamed self implode after an embarassing loss & fade into obscurity ?? We'll find out in December. All I hope is that it is a good, fair, Straight & above board fight with the legitimate best man getting the win
