Ruiz Jr vs Joshua 2: Anthony Joshua was ‘screaming’ about weaknesses
Written by News on 27/11/2019
Anthony Joshua warned about his first professional defeat as he was “screaming” about his weaknesses for two years before Andy Ruiz Jr loss.
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Britain’s heavyweight star attempts to regain his world heavyweight titles in a rematch with Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on December 7, live on Sky Sports Box Office, after his unbeaten record was ended by a shock loss to the Mexican at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
But Joshua revealed on ‘The Gloves Are Off’ how he had strongly voiced concerns about his vulnerabilities, long before they had been exposed in a seventh-round stoppage loss to Ruiz Jr.
“There’s definitely stuff I can work on,” said Joshua. “I’ve been screaming this for two years in my gym, ‘I keep on going this way, I’m going to end up getting beat soon!’.
“But sometimes when the tools in your military box, in your army box, are working and you’re slaying the division, sometimes you don’t need to sharpen your other tools.
“But I’ve been saying it for two years. That’s why I say now, I go back to my instincts.
“My style has to change. If I want the same result, I do the same thing in preparation. If I want a different result, I have to do different things in training.
“Not change everything. I haven’t got enough time to reinvent the whole plan and there’s certain leaks that I’ve been saying that I need to tighten up on, but it’s all good.”
Ruiz Jr seized his chance to become the new unified champion, having stepped in as a late replacement for the first fight, and admits that he viewed Joshua as the ideal opponent.
“His style was just perfect for me,” said Ruiz Jr. “The way that he moves around, the way that he carries himself inside of the ring.
“He’s strong, he’s big, but none of that really matters. I’ve been fighting since I was six years old. I have a lot of experience, but it was just my time.”
(c) Sky Sports 2019: Ruiz Jr vs Joshua 2: Anthony Joshua was ‘screaming’ about weaknesses
