Ruiz Jr must be kept at arm’s length
his is an interesting fight, a very even fight — a world title bout in New Zealand — amazing. Obviously I’m right behind Joseph, but I think it’s going to come down to who dictates the pace. Ruiz Jr likes to come forward and so does Joseph.
But if Joseph is forced on the back foot straight away due to Ruiz Jr’s pressure, it could be a hard night for him. If Joseph can sustain the distance — keep Ruiz Jr back — it will be a much better night for him.
The first couple of rounds could be pretty boring. They could be tactical. By round four and five, someone is going to have to take a risk and start applying some pressure, potentially, and then it could turn in to a good fight by round six or seven. You’ll probably see who’s going to take the fight then.
Ruiz Jr, in round five, six and seven, will probably get stronger as the fight goes on. It will be good to see how Joseph copes with that.
I haven’t seen too much of Ruiz Jr, but I think he’ll get stronger; the same applies for Joseph, but he hasn’t really been tested in deep water. His fight against Carlos Takam went the full 12 rounds and he was tested a bit there. He will have learned from that.
Ruiz Jr is a mover, he slips and slides as he comes in, so he is good at avoiding punches. And then he punches over the top. Parker hasn’t really faced anyone like that; Takam a little bit, he moved his head when he came forward and got some gains, but Ruiz is a different calibre of fighter. He’s not as strong as Takam but he moves his head nice and fluently, so he’ll slip Joseph’s jab.
Both have very fast hands for heavyweights.
Every fighter deals with pressure differently. I used to get all my confidence from the training camp and how well that went. I never went in to a fight thinking I would lose.
My head was my best asset — I was strong minded — and I never thought I would be beaten, but that’s sport, you get beaten by the better fighter on the day.
I’ve never been intimidated by anyone, and I’m sure Joe is the same. He’s unbeaten, he’s 21- 0. I got to 19- 0 before I was beaten for the first time. He will feel bullet proof and he has a lot of ability to show. Two undefeated fighters, with Ruiz Jr 29- 0 — they didn’t get those records by accident.
Joe has made amazing progress over such a short time and you have to give credit to him but also his team for getting him in this position.
He has been a professional for just over three years and he is fighting for a world title! It took David Tua close to 10 years and me about the same time. Joseph did it quickly, and by fighting in New Zealand too.
My manager Kenny Reinsfield and I were criticised hugely for that. But it is financially viable. Joe is a big fish in a small pond in New Zealand, so his handlers have done a good job.
A prediction? It’s a hard one. I want Joe to win, obviously. I think Joe could catch him early. If it goes to points, it could go either way.