From watching these 3 rounds again two things were different to how I saw them the first time. One good and one bad for AJ 1. I remembered those rounds as being quite even, but watching them back AJ was actually boxing fairly well and Ruiz was troubled. 2. After AJ dropped ruiz I remembered him rushing in wrecklessly but that didn't happen either, AJ was looking to finish but he didn't just start going crazy, he was looking to line up the right hand. After round 4 finished and Joshua didn't take too much in that round I thought Ruiz had is chance and blew it but it was shocking to me that even after several rounds Joshua just never recovered. The scariest thing about him is when hurt he stays hurt. As a guy in his mid 20s he got a second wind after a couple rounds but I think that's gone now.
Didn't it take him 4/5 to get back on top v Wlad after he was knocked down? Not sure his age, 29 v younger, has a part to play in recovery time.
His recuperation is one of the worst ive ever seen. 2 rounds after being stunned by Whyte and I could see his legs weren't right, how Wlad messed up the finish with him will haunt him forever
I honestly think hes a stone and a half past his natural weight, his cardio is terrible for a very fit man as silly as that sounds, to much peds muscle etc
He's just a tank. He's not made for endurance that amount of muscle takes a lot of oxygen. He clearly didn't recover VS Ruiz and got taken out. This time he has to dictate the range of the fight or the same thing happens.
I rewatched this fight and thought the opposite. I felt Ruiz controlled it from the start, hitting AJ to the body from minute 1 and taking the centre of the ring. Live I thought AJ was doing fine up until the knockdown but I feel differently now.
If you’re ripped with muscle and get punched hard in the head, more oxygen is sent to the brain leaving the muscles depleted of their normal supply. If he’s dropped some muscle mass for the rematch, he should be more durable.
Statistically, rematches go overwhelmingly in the same way as the original fight so I don't see this one being any different. There is no way A'juicing'J is going to be able to go twelve rounds with this guy, I don't care what training program he's been on the last six months. He will not have went from limited cardiovascular capacity to even what would be average for elite level boxing in such a short space of time. If he can't get Ruiz out of there in the first half of the fight then he's done for. There will be none of this 'box safe behind the jab for a points win' as there is no way he'll have the conditioning to do that as Ruiz will just bring the pressure at a higher intensity if he see's that tactic being employed and will in turn lead to Joshua gassing halfway through.
Chin and Cardio tend to be Genetic attributes same as percentage fast twitch/slow twitch muscles , can training improve things ? Most definitely and by reducing muscle bulk AJ will hope that his cardio can improve and in turn be able to defend the porcelain quality of his chin for longer. He cannot afford to mix it with Ruiz forget about statements keep it long.
Hmm while thats possible its also the obvious play for Ruiz. There is no way Joshua is going into this without working on something to combat Ruiz attack - if he put it into place is the question. AJ has to box long, box behind a jab and select his power shots carefully. Ruiz will want to do what he did last time and ambush and throw volume its at this point the fight is dangerous for Joshua - I reckon he will shelve the hook. Hold inside and hold a lot possibly to give himself a rest and use the uppercut occasionally. AJ doesn't like fighters with fast hands we saw that in the Parker fight but he's not without ability and and he knows what to expect now and should be fully focused. He will attempt to recreate the Parker fight - Ruiz is much more aggressive in terms of positioning and footwork but I think he can do it. Ruiz is a solid little bugger but AJ put him down and so there is a chance that he can recreate that again. The change will be here if he hurts Ruiz expect him to continue boxing rather than looking to finish. The scales will make interesting reading pre fight. This is a 50/50 fight for me as much as the first fight was a shock the rematch will tell us loads about both fighters. Is Ruiz a one hit wonder - Had AJ lost focus or was it just a styles clash where the guy with endurance and a chin drowned a tank. Can AJ adapt. WE have seen him destroy guys, we have seen him come back from the brink V Wlad we have seen him outbox guys. Can he now recover from a bad loss and put his name back on par with Wilder and Fury
Something that I haven't seen mentioned is the weather in Riyadh that day. If like I'm suspecting it may be humid and they look like there boxing in an open air stadium, I can't see how AJ with his suspect gas tank will be able to box and move for 12. He can't find on the inside either. As soon as Ruiz gets on the inside it's over and I'm pretty sure Andy won't be that worried about what's coming at him.
Did you notice how unusual AJ looked before the bell for round one had even been rung!? His body language, demeanor and general aura wete all totally different to anytime I'd seen him walking in for a fight before! Something was up for sure!! Hopefully we see the real Joshua at 100 per cent this time!
If you watch it again, when they are both in the corner awaiting the first bell, Ruiz does some stretching and when he puts both his arms over his head and pushes his chest out, the camera goes to AJ who has a totally dejected look on his face, he is like WTF have I got in front of me, if anybody hasn't picked up on it I suggest you rewatch it...
Muscle mass uses more oxygen, its very basic stuff. He carries too much muscle to have a super gas tank.