Counting Down To Ruiz-Joshua 2…Ruiz Thinks AJ Will Move A Lot

Me, I'm thinking we see Anthony Joshua be a smarter boxer, use the ring more, work smarter, not harder, not indulge in the machismo, not assume that his muscles will make him more likely to be the stiffer puncher on Dec. 7. His physique suggests he's prepping for that, his traps are shrunken, he looks like he's going to weigh a bit less than in the June 1 upset loss in NYC.

Still looks rugged, though…

And really, who knows, once a fight breaks out, we can see his pride taking over, and him being willing, or unable not to, trade…

Andy Ruiz is under the assumption that this will be a more mobile AJ, and that's no big surprise. What other strategy would AJ look to pull off? Be the bull,  charge Ruiz, try to steamroll him, and leave himself open to counters from the clever hitter who can counter punch and lead?

And we wonder, about mindset. Becoming champ, it can make you 25% better, building up confidence. Or it can sap you some…How about all the press Ruiz has done, and I blame him not at all, the fun he's had? You know that will be cited if he loses.

If Ruiz loses, Twitter will blame CBD selling.

Here is a release which the promoters sent out to help whet our appetite for the Saturday clash in Saudi Arabia. Which, by the way, will unspool on DAZN at about 3:45 PM ET.

Andy Ruiz Jr has warned Anthony Joshua that he could beat him “even faster” than he did when he ripped the IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO belts from ‘AJ' on a memorable night at Madison Square Garden in New York back in June.

The pair collide for a second time at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia on Saturday December 7 in one of the most highly-anticipated heavyweight rematches in decades, shown live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and DAZN in the US.

‘The Destroyer' believes Joshua will aim to regain his crowns by adopting a cautious in-ring strategy following their explosive first meeting that saw Ruiz knock down Joshua four times on route to a monumental seventh round stoppage win.

“I'm expecting that,” said Ruiz Jr. “But if he wants to bang, it's better for me. I love to bang because that's the fighter that I am. December 7 we have to pressure, work the body, break him down. Especially his mentality.

“We've got to see where he's at because all the pressure is on him. The pressure isn't on me because I followed my dream, made my dreams come true. Of course I want more though – I want the legacy of Andy Ruiz Jr.”

Ruiz Jr had previously explained that his sparring partners were being “slick” in anticipation of Joshua trying to be elusive.

“People haven't seen me cut off the ring,” Ruiz Jr warned. “I actually break them down even faster when they try to box me around. We all have a plan until we get hit, like Mike Tyson would say. I'm pretty sure he will want to box me around.

“One punch can change the fight. That's what happened on June 1. It might be a little harder than the first time. I've got to show my skills, my talent.”

Ruiz Jr's only defeat in 34 fights came via majority decision to Joseph Parker in 2016, a verdict he still disputes. He insists that his style will always be a problem for Joshua.

“Especially me staying small. I don't think he likes fighting against that style. I don't think he's ever fought a short guy that pressures, and is pretty slick. I felt like I was boxing him around even though I was the shorter guy. I was counter-punching him. When he would throw, I would throw back with more punches.

“He saw something that he's never seen before. People said before, who would you rather fight: Joshua, Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury? I always said Joshua because of his style. Styles make fights. His style was perfect for me to become the unified Heavyweight Champion.”

Ruiz vs. Joshua 2 tops a huge night of boxing in Saudi Arabia.

Russian powerhouse Alexander Povetkin (35-2, 24 KOs) returns from his August triumph over Hughie Fury to take on USA’s fast-rising Heavyweight talent Michael Hunter (18-1, 12 KOs) in an Eliminator for the WBA World Title, Brixton Heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte (26-1, 18 KOs) takes on Poland’s former World Title challenger Mariusz Wach (35-5, 19 KOs), undefeated Croatian Heavyweight star Filip Hrgovic (9-0, 7 KOs) steps up to face former World Title challenger Eric Molina (27-5, 19 KOs) as he puts his WBC International Championship on the line for the third time, Tom Little (10-7, 3 KOs) will be targeting a huge Heavyweight upset as he takes on former Amateur Word Champion Mahammadrasul Majidov (1-0, 1 KO), and the talented young duo of Leeds Super-Bantamweight Hopey Price (1-0) and Los Angeles Super-Middleweight Diego Pacheco (7-0, 6 KOs) will also be eager to impress at Diriyah Arena, Zuhayr Al Qahtani  (7-0) clashes with Omar Dusary (7-0-1, 1 KO) for the WBC Middle East Lightweight Title and UAE Lightweight Majid Al Naqbi (3-0, 1 KO) aims to improve his perfect record.