WEIGHT OF HISTORY
Joshua bids to be only fourth to win heavyweight rematch
THE proof of the puddings was on the scales.
Anthony Joshua weighed in at 16st 13lb, his lightest for five years, and 10 pounds less than when he lost his world heavyweight titles six months ago.
But Andy Ruiz sent almost as big a shock through the open-air crowd as when he knocked out AJ by stepping up at a massive 20st 3lb in yesterday’s weigh-in ahead of tonight’s world title fight here. That is a full stone and one pound heavier than the New York night when he stunned Joshua.
For Joshua to win his belts back he has to battle history, too. Only Floyd Patterson against Ingemar Johansson,
Joseph Parker is the only man to beat Ruiz (majority decision, 2016) and the first to go the distance with Joshua, losing by unanimous decision in 2018.
The key to beating Andy Ruiz will be keeping the right distance. It looks like Anthony Joshua will do that when you study his physique and what he has said, so it would surprise me if he got in there and started trading punches.
But it is Joshua — he knocks a lot of guys out. he can bang very hard and he has ended a lot of fights early, but that was what got him into trouble in the first fight and I think he has seen he has to go a different way.
Ruiz has very fast hands and he knows how to throw, so he is a very good counter-puncher, very accurate. You go at him and he can catch you coming in, which is what happened in the third round last time. Joshua came in and took a big left hook to the head. Ruiz has power, too. I saw that and I used my height and reach. That is what Joshua should do: keep him away with the jab.
But that will be hard because Ruiz will keep coming. It is very tiring to keep a guy off for a lot of rounds if he keeps coming with that much pressure and Ruiz puts the pressure on.
You just have to keep pushing him off. Anthony knows this guy has the power to hurt him if he gets through.
What Joshua needs to worry about is Andy’s confidence. he beat him last time off a month’s camp. This time he has had a full camp — 12 weeks or so. he will have loved being champion and he will do whatever he can to keep those belts.
Anthony has had the same camp and he will be ready, though. he knows Ruiz has more than fast hands and accurate punches — against me Ruiz kept jabbing to the stomach and that ticks away at you. Those are the things you get against shorter guys.
When I fought Anthony he boxed well. he kept his distance and again that is what he needs to do. he is under a lot of pressure, but so is Ruiz.
Ruiz is the champ and wants to stay that way and Anthony has everyone saying what it will mean for his career if he loses. But he has had pressure all his career. he has been a star from day one and he can handle it.
I don’t know which way to call it. Maybe I would just say Joshua but it will be a very hard night.