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Tag: Anthony Joshua

  • Ruiz’s new diet revealed ahead of Joshua rematch

    ANDY Ruiz Jr has begun a new strict diet this week as he looks to get in shape for his rematch with Anthony Joshua on December 7.

    Ruiz weighed in at 19 stone and two pounds ahead of his shock victory over Joshua.

    And the first world heavyweight champions of Mexican descent is planning to lose weight as he sets about defending his titles in Saudi Arabia, his nutritionist, Zo’s Meal Plans, has revealed.

    “He will be heavy but that’s nothing we haven’t dealt with in the past. He likes tacos. We don’t worry about his diet outside of camp,” the nutritionist told Sky Sports.

    “Remember, this is a heavyweight camp. Andy isn’t a lightweight.

    Read Also: Joshua tipped to reclaim titles

    “We try to make it healthier. A lot of fruits and vegetables but he has the occasional treat. For the most part, he is serious about his diet.

    “We try to give him the correct fuel to get through his training sessions. We introduce veggies and fish.”

    The 30-year-old’s surprise win over Joshua secured him the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles.

    Both men are believed to be looking to drop weight ahead of the rematch in preparation of a more mobile fight.

    Though Ruiz’s nutritionist will keep him on a relatively tight dietary leash, the Mexican-American will be allowed cheat meals to keep him happy.

     

  • Anthony Joshua insists: I won’t quit boxing

    Back in New York City – the place where Ruiz Jnr stunned the world by knocking Anthony Joshua to the canvas on way to victory – the Briton has renewed confidence ahead of the pair’s December rematch in Saudi Arabia.

    Many see the rematch as a defining moment in Joshua’s career, with another defeat at the hands of the Mexican likely leaving him in disarray.

    But for Joshua, he has been around the sport for long enough to know his strengths and his shortcomings but he is confident in right now to restore normality on the heavyweight division.

    ”There were times when I faced defeat as an amateur,” he said at the New York leg of the press tour on Thursday.

    ”My third fight; imagine I stopped then, there would be no now. I lost in the European Championship quarter-finals. Imagine I stopped then, there would be no now.

    ”I lost in the World Championship finals. Imagine I stopped then, there would be no now. Stopping isn’t in my DNA. As long as I have breath, I will keep fighting for the passion of boxing and more so as an ambassador for championship-level fighting. That’s where I belong.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Andy Ruiz beats Anthony Joshua

    ”I was born with a fighting spirit. I know how to fight. People say, ‘you lost your titles’. I say, ‘to lose something is to never get it back’. I have a second chance on December 7. I didn’t have a warm-up fight, I’m not gun-shy.”

    While Joshua was accused of taking Ruiz Jnr lightly the first time they met, the belt holder has no such plan to underestimate heavy artillery from a fired up Joshua in Diriyah.

    New York brings fond memories for Ruiz, as he became the first heavyweight champion of the world for his nation and he is determined not to end the year with a return of the belts he took so spectacularly this summer.

    ”This is where I became the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world,” he said, wearing a black sombrero as a nod to his country. ”But I know Joshua wants his belts back. I know how it feels to lose – I lost to Joseph Parker when I thought I had won. Joshua can bounce back. My job is not to let him get the belts back.

    ”I’ve had doubters my whole life, telling me I’d do nothing because of my appearance. Just because of how I looked. People can now say, “if he did it, I can do it”.”

  • ANDY RUIZ REMATCH: I will be more intelligent, says Joshua

    ANTHONY Joshua says he needs to be more intelligent in his rematch with Andy Ruiz and expose the weaknesses he knows exist in the heavyweight champion’s game.

    The pair meet for the second time on 7 December as Joshua will try to reclaim the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles he lost on 1 June in New York. Ruiz stopped the 2012 Olympic champion in the seventh round at Madison Square Garden in a monumental upset to claim the four straps, but AJ insists he does not need to make huge changes for the rematches, but be a bit smarter.

    ‘‘I don’t think a little blip should change you as a person, I think you should remain consistent with who you are,’’ Joshua told Sky Sports.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Andy Ruiz beats Anthony Joshua

    ‘‘It’s funny because I’ll see him more this week than I ever did in the build-up to the first fight so I can become a bit more familiar with him. I know what I’m in for, I know what I’m capable of and what he’s capable of.

    ‘‘I know some of the attributes he possesses, and some of the weaknesses. I have to go about exposing him that little bit more. The first time I had him down [in the first fight], I could have been smarter. These little things you think about in your head.

    ‘‘Now I’m meeting him eye-to-eye once again, subconsciously the clock’s ticking and I’m thinking more and more about the fight and soon it will be 7 December.’’

  • AJ: Don’t give up when you meet a blip in life’

    Anthony Joshua insists he is more motivated than ever to win back his world heavyweight titles.

    The British boxer was knocked out in the seventh round by underdog Andy Ruiz Jnr at Madison Square Garden last month.

    But the 29-year-old has put the defeat behind him and is now ready to bounce back.

    “I’ve always said don’t let the failures get to your heart and don’t let the success get to your head, “ Joshua said on Instagram.

    “My legs and everything, it’s a weird feeling. As your climbing, the hole was getting deeper.

    “True failure isn’t quitting, I don’t think you should give up when you meet a blip in life.

    “I’m still keen to fight the best in the world. I’m still keen to prove myself and my ambition is to be two-time heavyweight champion of the world.”

    AJ’s representatives are still trying to organise a rematch with Ruiz.

    Two locations and dates have been suggested, one being November 29 back at Madison Square Garden, last month’s location, or December 14 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

    Joshua was knocked to the floor four times before losing to the Mexican outsider.

  • Joshua meets former US President Obama

    Anthony Joshua posed for an inspirational photo with former president Barack Obama last Friday.

    The pair were invited to speak at an event in Spain hosted by SAP and Joshua could not pass up on the opportunity to get a picture with the 44th president of the United States.

    Joshua posted the photo to his Instagram page on Tuesday with the caption: ”CEO Summit. A long way from where it all started.”

    The former heavyweight champion is currently preparing to make his comeback after he suffered a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr earlier this month.

    It was the first defeat Joshua has tasted since turning professional and saw the London fighter lose his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles to the unfancied Mexican.

    Read Also: Foreman offers to help Joshua

    The 29-year-old has the chance to reclaim his world titles in a rematch later this year with Joshua’s second encounter with Ruiz expected to take place in England. However, Tyson Fury’s manager Frank Warren has urged Joshua to consider his options before fighting Ruiz again.

    ”I do have my doubts,” Warren told BBC 5 Live’s Sportsweek. ”I don’t think he should take the rematch. Maybe he should take some time out and regroup, I don’t know. That’s his decision. But he’ll be fighting a guy who next time will have more than five weeks’ notice and go into a proper training camp.

    ”I’m not going to say or make any predictions about the shape of his body, but he’s got fast hands and I believe he’s got Joshua’s number. He’s taken Joshua’s best shots and he knows he has the punching power to do damage to Anthony Joshua.”

     

  • Tarver fears for Joshua in Ruiz return

    Former pound for pound number one, unified world champion and heavyweight contender Antonio Tarver has given his verdict on the shock loss suffered by Anthony Joshua.

    Tarver, like many, didn’t see a dominant performance by Andy Ruiz Jr. coming when the pair met at Madison Square Garden.

    Ruiz managed to survive being dropped for the first time in his career to dismantle the pre-fight facade that Joshua was an unbeatable force.

    ‘The Magic Man’ watched on in disbelief as Joshua crumbled on his United States debut in front of a packed New York audience.

    In hindsight, the Rocky Balboa star pointed to the obvious signs something was wrong with the British favorite in the build-up to the first bell.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Andy Ruiz beats Anthony Joshua

    “I was totally shocked while it was taking place, but after seeing everything that transpired I’m not surprised it happened,” Tarver exclusively told World Boxing News.

    “I’m more surprised I didn’t see it coming. You put everything together, like the last minute replacement (Ruiz for Jarrell Miller after three failed drugs tests). Also, him fighting in the USA for the first time at MSG. Then his opponent stature, the bookies’ odds and everything mounting up. It didn’t seem like he approached this fight with the urgency he needed.

    “It looked like Joshua was more surprised he was in a real fight. He obviously thought he could just turn it on when he wanted to and take Ruiz out of there. But when you don’t prepare for the toughest fight of your life it’s hard to rise to the occasion.”

    On what could happen in an expected rematch, potentially at the same venue, Tarver added: “If AJ doesn’t make the necessary adjustments he’ll most certainly lose the rematch.

    “Right now, Andy Ruiz is riding a magic carpet ride. He ain’t trying to come down. It’ll be harder for Joshua to defeat Ruiz in the rematch.”

    All four versions of the world heavyweight crown possessed by Ruiz are expected to be on the line. A host of mandatory situations are set to be addressed by Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

    The Matchroom boss has potential WBA, IBF and WBO pressure ready to mount in the coming months. One reprieve is the fact the WBA have a stipulated mandatory bout lined up.

     

  • Foreman offers to help Joshua

    With one heavyweight great, Lennox Lewis, telling Anthony Joshua he needs a new trainer, another all-time great from the heavyweight division, George Foreman, is telling the former WBA/IBF/WBO champ that he might need a new manager – with “Big George” offering his services.

    Speaking with TMZ Sports, the legendary two-time heavyweight king (1973 to 1974 and 1994 to 1997) said he is ready and willing to help Joshua rebuild from his crushing upset loss to Andy Ruiz – “He needs someone like me,” said the 70-year old.’

    Read Also: I lost to a better fighter – Joshua

    “They’re gonna have to go back to the gym. I think he’ll be a greater fighter, Joshua now,” George said. “If he goes back and gets his mind together. He’s gonna even be better. But right now, he better learn to box and he better gets a good manager. I’ll do it. That’s certain. He needs someone like me. If I’m Anthony Joshua’s manager, I say, ‘let sleeping dogs lie.’ I don’t want to fight that guy (Ruiz) anymore, because you don’t know what you did wrong. You go back and you’re gonna do the same thing. Let it slide. Leave Ruiz alone. Let him alone.”

    Foreman suggests Joshua can come back better now that he has “the fear of losing,” something he perhaps never had before (although AJ had shown vulnerability in previous fights before the Ruiz disaster, being decked by Wladimir Klitschko and before that being badly wobbled by Dillian Whyte, and at least a few experts felt a loss was always on the cards even if AJ never felt that way himself). But is Foreman right when he says Joshua should not go for that revenge rematch with Ruiz?

    On the one hand, as Foreman suggests, a second loss to Ruiz would be disastrous.

  • My dad told me to ‘get smarter’- Anthony Joshua

    Anthony Joshua’s dad told him to smarten up after his embarrassing defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.

    Joshua is already plotting his return to the top after losing all four of his world title belts to the Mexican in one of boxing’s biggest upsets.

    His father, Robert – who had to be held back by AJ from confronting Eddie Hearn in the wake of the defeat – has given him some advice on the future.

    Joshua, 29, said: “My dad’s upset. Losing isn’t a good night, but it’s something we can learn from.

    Read also: I lost to a better fighter – Joshua

    “My dad said, ‘Tighten up and get smart. When things are going good, nothing’s going wrong, then something bad happens, you realise’. Dad’s upset, natural reaction. Mum’s cool. She doesn’t come to the boxing. So she separates the two – son from boxing.

    “Whole team, soldiers. Check, ‘you alright, you all good.’ And we roll with the punches. Good and bad.”

    Joshua’s dad Robert appeared to be furious inside the ring in the aftermath of his son’s defeat.

    While Hearn was being booed by the Madison Square Garden crowd and giving an interview to Sky Sports, Robert attempted to charge towards the promoter.

    Joshua noticed his reaction and was forced to hold him back.

  • I lost to a better fighter – Joshua

    Anthony Joshua has conceded that he lost to a better fighter after he was stunned early Sunday morning by Andy Ruiz Jr in the seventh round, in an all-time great upset at the Madison Square Garden in New York and in the process losing his WBO, WBA, IBF and IBO world heavyweight belts.

    But Joshua has vowed to come back stronger after losing his first professional fight on his US debut.

    “Congratulations to the first Mexican heavyweight champion. We bounce back.

    “I’m a fighter by heart, boxer by trade, it has got people talking and there’s more life in the heavyweight division.

    “This is the risk we take, every fighter deserves respect so congratulations to him. I respect every fighter, this is all part of the legacy, it’s how strong I came back. He’s a champion for now, I shall return.”

    Read Also: I’ll have made it, once I get the last title — Joshua

    Joshua was the favourite against late replacement Ruiz who defied the odds to do the impossible..

    “Boxing is a tough sport, but I train hard and I got beaten by a good fighter, it will be interesting to see how far he goes, but this is all part of the journey,” Joshua added.

    Joshua was knocked down twice in the third round before kissing the canvas in the seventh round and he revealed how his knockdown was different to the time he was caught by Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley.

    He explained: “When your legs are all over your gaff, you are trying to stabilise.

    “This is the first fight like that. Against Klitschko, I was just tired.”

    Joshua is expected to activate his rematch clause with Ruiz with promoter Eddie Hearn hinting the fight may take place in November or December this year.

  • UPDATED: Andy Ruiz beats Anthony Joshua

    Anthony Joshua has suffered the first defeat of his professional career in a shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden.

    Making his US debut at one of boxing’s hallowed venues, Joshua was stunned by the unfancied Ruiz, who sent the Briton to the mat four times en route to becoming the new IBF, WBA (Super) and WBO champion in front of a stunned New York crowd.

    Ruiz had taken the fight on less than six weeks’ notice following Jarrell Miller’s failed drugs test in what was his second crack at world title gold, having fallen short against Joseph Parker in his only professional defeat.

    He was dropped by Joshua early in the third round but responded emphatically, dropping the champion twice with the Olympic champion never truly recovering.

    Joshua came forward with another flurry in the seventh round but again, left himself open with Ruiz capitalizing magnificently – sending the champion down for the third time in the contest.

    Read Also: Luis Ortiz refuses to fight Anthony Joshua

    Moments later, he was down again, leaving the surreal image of Joshua on all fours spitting his gumshield out, bereft of ideas and confidence.

    Referee Mike Griffin stepped in to end the contest before more damage was done.

    Derided for his unconventional physique, Ruiz produced a performance that will send shock waves through the sport. A rematch clause means the two will likely meet again later this year.

    For now, Joshua joins the likes of Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in the fraternity of once-dominant champions to suffer stunning defeats.

    EveningStandard