Anybody interested in a Joshua-Ruiz rubber match?

You're right - but history has a way of washing away contemporary context, which is why some fighters would rather leave no question. It's just one date, and if top contenders are tied up in negotiations with each other he may as well double-dip on Ruiz revenge. Better that than a tuneup with some stiff who's barely top 40.

 

Ruiz disgraced himself and boxing the way he showed up for the second fight.

Let him work up the ranks and show he is serious about the sport and is a contender.

 

I have a slight issue with this. It's nearly impossible to gauge the exact level of damage a punch does to a fighter. To claim Ruiz got up and continued.to fight because he's a "natural fighter" and Joshua is not is a bit dramatic. If a fighter is hurt to the point his body just won't respond well enough to defend himself properly, no amount of heart or innate fighting spirit will help him. It's just biology at that point. Maybe Joshua was just more hurt.

 

I agree but it's not like Ruiz came in prepared to fight for their second match.

He was in the worst condition I've ever seen a fighter come into a championship fight.

He made Hrgovic look like a fitness fanatic.

Joshua did what he had to do and I give him credit for that but the fight said as much about Ruiz's character and discipline as it did about Joshua's talent.

 

It’s tough to say because like Wilder before getting KO’d Joshua had shaky moments. If it wasn’t for Ruiz being so unproffesional he could probably have close fights with Joshua 5/10 times. The other 5 could end up in KO either way.

 

If Ruiz gets some good wins, sure, but not when he's inactive and uninterested. Parker, Dubois, Zhang and Kabayel are all much options as things stand now. Even Anderson for that matter. And of course Fury, if he wasn't tied up in the rematch with Usyk.

 

That's what Ruiz sucked Joshua into in their first bout and we saw how well that ended.

 

I thought he retired to become an actor? I'd be interested if Ruiz strung together a bunch of high quality wins over guys like Parker, Zhang, Kabayel. Beating 40+ year olds and 300+ pounders isn't what I think of as being on a good streak.

 

I agree. If he got into at least the shape he was in for Joshua 1 and had a couple of good wins I wouldn't mind him fighting Joshua or anyone else in the top 5. The guy has some fast hands and talent.

 

AJ Zhang.

 

I'm not so sure about that.

 

Whatever the reason. Ruiz is in fact a natural fighter, whereas Joshua simply is not.

 

I dont mind it as a fight. AJ won the 2nd but was terrified to engage with anything more than the jab.
Anytime he held his feet Ruiz got to him. Ruiz in better shape would still cause AJ problems and the thing AJ doesn't like is guys with fast hands and Ruiz has that in spades.

 

Ruiz is wasting his career. He should have stayed active. I’d like to see a rematch with him or AJ against Parker.

 

If Andy Ruiz were to come to the fight at 300+ pounds - I have no interest in the fight happening at all.
I took Andy Ruiz's weight difference between the AJ 1 and AJ 2 fights as an example.