doesn't exactly show he has been training like a demon for the biggest fight of his life though does it, whereas AJ seems more serious than ever. You have to wonder how Ruiz will hold up if the fight goes on a bit, I guess the same could be said if AJ. Guess we will see soon.
Everyone underestimated Ruiz first time round Cos he’s fat. I don’t think his weight going up is a reflection on poor prep. If anything it’s intentional to take out AJ easily early on
I think he’s going in there to chop him down. Let’s face it, would you be confident in getting a 12 round decision win over the main money spinner for Sky, DAZN, Matchroom etc. Ruiz passed the eye test for me in that workout. He’s going in there to stop Joshua. Just to add, I believe Ruiz is the more skilful of the 2, and he’s the bigger man by some margin. Ruiz by stoppage.
Weight has nothing to do with the fight. Fury was carrying a lot of fat in the Wilder fight and didn't gas. Ruiz Jr will fight in bursts....
Ruiz has the clear edge in: Speed Defence Head movement Footwork Weight Stamina Chin Self belief Reflexes big Josh has the edge in Height Reach Bench press Bicep curls Sponsorship deals PPV buys (aka “does numbers”) Racist ideals Cod philosophy
It would be nice to think its a strategy but coming in over 280lbs signals a bit of a discipline issue to me. I still back Ruiz myself, he will likely hurt AJ again at some point. I'm going with the theory that Andy had a dumbell tucked in his sombrero.
Nowadays the heavyweights seem to want to be as big as possible. Even if that means carrying excess fat. Everyone always criticizes it as a lack of professionalism....but if most of them are doing it maybe theres actually an advantage in carrying that extra weight. They cant all be wrong. Wilder said straight after the fury fight he wants to put 30 lb on. Chisora and whyte seem to be getting better results packing it on. Miller was a ridiculous 3 hundred and something pounds. Joshua himselfs been going up. Furys always carrying excess weight. Ruiz looks fit to me for ruiz regardless of the weight gain. I,d be shocked if it wasnt a well thought out gameplan for the fight. I think they,ve heard joshuas going low....to counteract it ruiz has went higher. Pressures on joshua to keep him off even more now. Think joshuas gonna show us something new for this fight....but it looks like its an all eggs in one basket gameplan. If ruiz does get inside....there is no real plan b from the outside looking in.
I've no idea how this will pan out. I can think of numerous good arguments in both directions and am just looking forward to seeing a really intriguing Heavyweight Title fight. The weight gain might mean Ruiz is about to do a Buster Douglas or it might have been planned all along, the pictures of a slimmed down Ruiz six weeks ago being deliberate subterfuge. It could also have been a late adjustment once they realised how much Joshua was slimming, a judgement that to beat a trim AJ would require a significant weight advantage for Ruiz. It's a lot of weight to give away on Joshua's part and may sow seeds of doubt in his head. Ruiz will be packing some power and I doubt his hand speed or range finding will be much diminished if at all. That said the ring is 22ft, 2ft bigger than is allowed in the UK. It's up to the lighter and more mobile Joshua to leverage this and everything else in his locker if he hopes to prevail. Both fighters have the tools to win in spectacular fashion and both are vulnerable to their opponent's strengths. That's what makes it such a tasty and hard to call clash. I've changed my mind so many times this week, there are just so many questions that can only be answered by tomorrow's fight. I can't make up my mind if Joshua's meandering candour about coasting when winning and rediscovering his desire to learn the sweet science is the sign of a man about to go up a level or a man plagued by self doubt, whose bubble is about to burst big time. The weigh in has left me unsure whether Ruiz has been distracted by fame and fortune or pulled one of the smartest and most unexpected weight changes of recent years for a fight of this magnitude. I was leaning towards Joshua last tonight, thinking he can move, jab and occasionally grab to a points or late stoppage victory. But the second I thought that, I had to ask myself on what basis do I think AJ can avoid Ruiz's assaults all night and does he revert to type when he's clipped and go glassy eyed and stiff? Today I've woken up thinking Ruiz. In the last fight it was the body shots in the 6th round that truly emptied Joshua's tank. Now the abuser is heavier and the victim is lighter. Clinching isn't much of an option for Joshua now and Ruiz should still be able to cut off that ring. I'm going Ruiz by stoppage in the 7th.
