Did Andy Ruiz Leave Joshua With Lasting Brain Damage?

Yes, but not permanently. He was terribly concussed, and I remember were threads before Ruiz II where there was talk of his speaking that was no longer fluid.

Fortunately after Ruiz II it has improved. Now it sounds okey again.

 

yes,now they both have brain damage!

 

Retired Wlad humbled him but fat Andy took his soul. I defy anyone to find me a more humiliating defeat in boxing history: 6'5.5 Nigerian-Irish adonis vs 5'11.5 Castizo diabetes patient who is a 25-1 underdog and the adonis is splattered all over the canvas for 4 rounds and made to quit on his U.S. debut. This is also the social media age which amplifies it massively, AJ must get reminded of it virtually every day.

Hearn has been very selective with picking AJ's opponents and as such he has not been an underdog even once in his career. Neither has Wilder of course but Wilder has at least been close to even money on three occasions. AJ was fighting Molina as Dave Allen was being fed to Ortiz, Usyk was swerved while mandatories with Miller and grandpa Pulev were pursed instead. No Wilder fight, no Fury fight. AJ fans illogically assume that AJ would beat Wilder easily just because Fury did but surely this should work the other way: if someone as relatively poor as Ruiz can beat AJ then Wilder must have a very good chance. Even AJ fanboy Wlad (who sparred both) couldn't pick a winner between AJ and Wilder on account of Wilder being "extremely fast", longer and very unpredictable. Usyk bulking up suggests that he knows the score and is going for a KO.

 

I was half expecting the bodybuilder to brutally stop Ruiz in the rematch late rounds. If that was Lewis, he would have made sure the fight was over mid rounds like the Rahman and McCall fights. Joshua is definitely scared of going to war. I do think if he gets by Usyk, he's losing to another morbidly obese foe.

 

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I agree with the lot (well said), but I don't think that Usyk is "bulking up". If he comes in a bit heavier, I would think no more than 224 at the most. He can work on strength (unnecessary, in my opinion) and power without hypertrophy. I would be surprised if there was a significant change and I think it would be a mistake. I don't buy into any of the photos or whatever. We will see, though.

But I do believe he will know that he needs a KO. Surely an ambitious guy like Usyk will not leave it to the judges who will inevitably score the bout to Joshua regardless of what happens inside the distance.

 

I don't think Usyk will come in looking like the hulk and try to bully AJ or trade with him but I do think he will be a career heaviest for several reasons, 100 KG or slightly over. I half expect him to play mind games on the scales loading up on water or with weights in his pockets and weigh in 230+ lbs. I would find it hilarious if AJ weighed-in as a recent career lightest for speed, agility and stamina and ended up being lighter than Usyk on the official scales.

If Usyk doesn't go for a KO in the mid-late rounds or whenever he has AJ hurt and/or gassing he's essentially throwing the fight. He won't win a decision without 2-3 KD's late in the fight at the very minimum and if he manages that he's going for a KO anyway.

 

Joshua walked through his journey with a hunter's mentality, until he beat klitschko. He was an offensive fighter, trying to search and destroy. He went toe to toe against Whyte, tried to corner him and chased him for the KO, overran Charles Martin, Breazeale and so on.

But past that Klitschko fight, he lost that hunter's mentality and became a defensive, play-it-safe beltkeeper. Keep the distance, land some jabs and left hooks, tear down the opponent and then land a big right.

He's got the skills and experience, i like how he adds new aspects in each fight, like those uppercuts against Pulev, but I think only a loss of his belts with no rematch clause can bring him back in that hunter's mentality.

 

I’m not a huge fan but the guy avenged his loss convincingly in an immediate rematch, has never ducked a mandatory, was seemingly happy to meet Fury next but instead is facing another elite fighter in Usyk. Yes he’s changed his style, yes there’s limitations but the hate here is cringe. He could go on to KO both Usyk and Fury and there’s a lot of people who would still rattle on about Ruiz. Let fighters lose fights and learn from them. Move on

 

Yes the chances of Hearn and judges, allowing his golden PPV goose to lose a decision is remote.

Even if Usyk dropped AJ 2-3 times, then he still may only get a draw.

But given AJs stamina issues and his mentality when losing. I think Usyk can force a legitimate stoppage.

Also we know a rematch is nailed on within 6 months of the 1st fight if Usyk wins. If he loses then no rematch, no matter how close it is.

 

We won't move on. Aj got KO'd by a fat man. Aj can go on to KO Fury and Wilder in 1 round and dominate the division until he's 50 but it won't matter because he lost to a short morbidly obese journeyman. That just can never be overlooked. That glass jaw will be cracked soon

Fury is the greatest heavyweight of all time.

 

- Beats Ruiz comfortably in the rematch.

- Beats and brutally KOs a top 10 opponent who arguably has the best jab divison in Pulev.

- Attempts to make a unification fight that Furys team pulled out of.

- Now fighting the undisputed CW champ and best CW ever in Usyk.

These are actions of someone not lacking in confidence. However because AJ has given honest opinions on Wilder stating there's many guys in divison that would give him beating (which is true) it's annoyed a few on here.

 

He subsequently dominated that fat man in the rematch, and beat another opponent after that.

He challenged Fury, not his fault the fight went through, and now he's taking a big risk in fight Oleksander Usyk.

He's in no way a coward, and obviously has confidence he can beat anyone.

Better fighters have lost to lesser opponents.

With all the **** talking and drug cheatin' you see in other professionals in this sport, Joshua is pretty tame compared to that.

The fact that Fury, Wilder and many other legends of the sport can talk so much ****, and then Joshua gets flamed for minor offensive comments is laughable.

Joshua is a ****ing fighter. He's got a huge ****ing ego like all of them. He's going to talk trash sometimes.

Ya'll need to calm your **** down.