Ruiz Jr vs Joshua: Don’t give them away says Anthony Joshua about letting Andy Ruiz Jr hold his title belts
Written by News on 19/08/2019
Anthony Joshua “in hindsight” would not have let Andy Ruiz Jr pose with the world heavyweight championship belts before their fight.
Joshua allowed Ruiz Jr to playfully hold the IBF, WBA and WBO gold two days prior to his defence – then lost the titles and his unbeaten record in a major shock.
“In hindsight, I would probably tell my fighter, as a psychological thing: ‘don’t give them away’,” Joshua said on AJ: The Untold Truth.
“I always said previously that the belts didn’t represent me. I was responsible, and a champion, before I had those belts.
“The belts can’t dictate who I am, as a man. The belts can go but I still have a championship mind-set.
“Boxing means, to me, more than the belts. Boxing is about building a championship mindset.”
Joshua will bid to reclaim those titles in a rematch against Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on December 7, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
He has addressed conspiracy theories regarding his defeat to Ruiz Jr – including the perception about his unusual body language during the ring walk.
“I was so relaxed,” Joshua said. “I don’t see boxing as pressure. People make more of it than I do, which is why I’m really calm walking to the ring.”
Joshua also denied he was knocked down during a sparring session which led to a below-par performance against Ruiz Jr.
“Everyone wants to be famous, rather than a good fighter,” he said.
“Silly stories about knocking me down. You can’t even enjoy your training and work on things without someone making up false allegations, and trying to get five minutes of fame.
“You bring someone into your training camp to do them a favour by paying them, nothing like [the knockdown rumour] has happened, you beat them up in every round, then they go and do an interview.
“There is a lot of envy, and not a lot of realness.”
Watch Anthony Joshua at his most brutally honest as he discusses his defeat to Ruiz Jr, the rematch and the conspiracy theories on AJ: The Untold Truth – On Demand.
(c) Sky Sports 2019: Ruiz Jr vs Joshua: Don’t give them away says Anthony Joshua about letting Andy Ruiz Jr hold his title belts
