Andrés Ponce Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua II

I got AJ on points. I think he boxes smart as he know fully knows what he has in front of him. Very likely he took Ruiz lightly in their first bout. AJs smiling after his loss said it all to me, like he was laughing at himself. He's got this

 

Or maybe it was more like this smile.

https://images.app.goo.gl/NhQqFzg4RwV3wULd6

 

I've said it before. The more AJ's fans talk - the more I favor Ruiz.

Delusional - the lot of you.

When I watch that first fight - I see Ruiz having AJ's number all night long....

 

I actually believe AJ can win an ugly UD. He can run all night, have the officials on his side.

But I keep getting back to this one fact. At some point Ruiz will get to him and repeat the TKO.

Ruiz is even capable - I believe - of literally blasting AJ out in one or two rounds. But he is too cautious for that....

 

AJ will keep try and keep it long but Ruiz is good enough to get on the inside more than once. For me it comes down to those moments.

I dont see Ruiz winning a decision. If Ruiz is winning the fight then he will stop AJ

 

AJ will stay more composed on the outside and not get careless like he did after hurting Ruiz.

Boring decision for Joshua.

 

Yep - that's the conventional narrative.

You need to watch that fight again....

 

AJ will play it safe behind the jab and take it home.

 

Ruiz is still living in Joshua's head

 

Ruiz by UD.

 

Maybe UD

Likely KO

 

That's my pick anyway...

 

The thing I have trouble getting to grips with when trying to think of AJ winning is this. They all seems to involve AJ improving or changing from the 1st fight. Something I haven't seen since he beat Wlad, and that's quite a while ago. Ruiz on the other hand, just needs to do what he did last time. My barely educated guess is that AJ intends to be a little more careful, lean down a touch so his gas tank is theoretically better, and avoid trading in the way that got his bell rung in the 1st fight. All well and good of course. But what's Ruiz gonna be doing? He's not gonna do a Parker and fight super cautiously for 12 rounds, which is what would need to happen for this to play out the way this game plan would need to? And I can't see AJ trying to blast out Ruiz either, surely that would be madness given Ruiz is sturdy and knows he can put AJ on the floor. I don't see the lumped in comparisons with other similar shocks either down the years either. Each of those had it's own set of circumstances unrelated to this fight. Honestly, I'll give AJ all the props he deserves if he wins this, however he wins it, as the pressure will be immense on him. But right now, I can't go against what I saw in the 1st fight based on a load of presumed improvements on the part of a guy who hasn't shown me it the last couple of years.

 

I actually think AJ showed new defensive tactics in the Parker fight. It surprised me at the time.

So yes - there is a chance.