Andy Ruiz Jr. says former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua’s recent four-fight comeback was aided by “easy opponents.”
Ruiz sees Joshua being matched against four sub-level opponents to regain his lost self-confidence. Although he seems to be more confident, he looks just as uncertain as before when Dubois challenged him to a fistfight during their face-to-face interview. Joshua talked about wanting to use a chair to fight and looked scared.
After AJ’s second consecutive defeat against Oleksandr Usyk on August 20, 2020, he looked like he mentally shut down in response. It was a textbook example of someone who experienced something that mentally tore them apart.
Ruiz says it will be a “tough fight” for Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on September 21st at Wembley Stadium in London.
Andy doesn’t know what to say about that matchup because Joshua hasn’t faced a live dog since his loss to Usyk.
There’s a very real possibility that the 26-year-old Dubois will be too much for the 34-year-old Joshua and knock him out, basically finishing his career.
His Excellency Turki Alalshikh says the Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight will still go ahead in early 2025, even if one or both of them lose their next fights. However, fans would view it as a timer type of match-up if they’re coming off defeats.
It would be similar to one of those Yankees Old Timer games where famous retired players compete in an exhibition in front of their fans.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, rebuilt him with his matchmaking, but probably not in a real sense. More of a superficial, camouflage style.
Hearn has been banging on about how he’s turned his career around and is better than ever, having been refurbished by trainer Ben Davison.
The way Mathroom boss Hearn has been gushing about Joshua, he’s aged in reverse and the vintage form with zero miles on the odometer when he first rolled off the assembly in 2013. I don’t see it that way, nor does former AJ conqueror Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs).
“I think he did what he had to do. They [Eddie Hearn] gave him easy opponents, but maybe that’s what he needed to get back that confidence, get that momentum back going. That’s what I got to do as well,” said Andy Ruiz Jr. to Fight Hub TV, talking about the recent four fights that Anthony Joshua has won to turn his sinking career around since 2023.
“He’s going his thing. He found himself, he found his motivation, but I do believe it’s going to be a tough fight between him and Dubois,” said Ruiz.
