Soccer
  • Home
  • Boxing
  • Andy Ruiz Jr: Anthony Joshua Will Beat Tyson Fury If He “Goes Forward And Throws Combinations”

Andy Ruiz Jr: Anthony Joshua will beat Tyson Fury if he “goes forward and throws combinations”

The American has also insisted that he holds “no grudges” with AJ after his defeat to him in Saudi Arabia back in 2019…

Andy Ruiz Jr has predicted that Anthony Joshua will get the better of Tyson Fury as long as he "throws his combinations".
The negotiations are ongoing between Joshua and Fury's camp for an all-British unification bout this summer.

A two-fight deal is in the pipeline as they plan to face off in June/July before having a rematch at the back end of 2021.

Both parties have signed the contracts and all that remains to be agreed is a date and venue. Multiple countries are up for discussion, but the current favourite appears to be Saudi Arabia.

Ruiz Jr - who lost to Joshua in Saudi Arabia in 2019 - has had his say on how the unification fight will go.

The Destroyer told The Daily Mail that Joshua will have a better chance of beating the Gypsy King if he comes forward and attacks his fellow Brit:

"I feel if Joshua doesn't box around - like he did to me - and goes forward, throws his combinations, I think Anthony will pull out the victory."

Ruiz Jr has been out of action since his damaging defeat to AJ. He shocked the world in New York in June 2019 as he beat the Olympic gold medallist via TKO in the seventh round.

The American was not in good shape for the rematch. Joshua outboxed the champion to win on points. The fight went the distance and AJ arguably won every round to reclaim his belts.

The 31-year-old has recently started working with the highly-respected Eddy Reynoso, who trains Canelo Alvarez. He looks in great shape and he is due to return to the ring on 1 May against Chris Arreola.

During the same interview, he revealed that Joshua reached out to offer him support after the rematch:

"There were a few messages. We were just saying that I'd bounce back, that I'm a great fighter. I have nothing but love for him. I don't have any grudges.
"I just wanted to crawl under my bed and just hide and eat Cheerios.
"When I weighed-in in Saudi Arabia, I was 283lb. I easily fought at 300 pounds. Right now, I'm at 258. I'm lighter than I was for the first fight."

Is attacking the best course of action for AJ against Fury?

Ruiz Jr raises an interesting point here. Earlier in his career, Joshua was purely known as a knock out merchant and it was unclear how well he could box.

But in recent years, he has visibly progressed to become a more rounded boxer. He displayed this in the rematch with Ruiz Jr, as he used his jab to perfection as he dismantled the American.

There's no denying that Joshua has improved a lot as a boxer. Yet, it is still hard to imagine him outboxing Fury when they eventually meet in the ring.

The Gypsy King in his own right has shown his versatility in the past. You only have to look at his two fights with Deontay Wilder to see how varied his skill set is.

No one really knows what to expect from the unification bout and this is what makes it so fascinating. Let's get it on!

    More Articles