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Tag: Anthony Joshua

  • Beat me this time or step aside, Ruiz tells Joshua

    Beat me this time or step aside, Ruiz tells Joshua

    Nigeria born British boxer Anthony Joshua has been told to take a break from boxing should he fail to win in the December 7 rematch against Andy Ruiz Jnr.

    The Mexican himself sarcastically gave the advice while boasting about readiness for the showdown billed for Saudi Arabia.

    Joshua’s defeat was a huge surprise to many with the 29year old 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist admitting he had to ‘grieve’ after that shock loss in June at Madison Square Garden.

    The pair are scheduled to have a huge rematch in December after Ruiz Jnr took Joshua’s three world heavyweight title belts in their initial fight in New York.

    Ruiz Jnr believes he can defeat Joshua once again when they come to blows in Saudi Arabia and has advised the British to step away from the ring if he fails to regain his world titles.

    ‘I think he should take a little break if I beat him,’ Ruiz Jr told Sky Sports.

    ‘Let him recuperate, but one or two losses are not going to make a difference.

    ‘He’s still a warrior, he’s still a great fighter, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back,” he submitted

    Joshua nonetheless remains optimistic that he can reclaim his titles in the all-important rematch that has kept the boxing world waiting

    Recall that Joshua dropped Ruiz Jr. in the third round, for the first time in the challenger’s career. Ruiz Jr. beat the count, and scored his own knock down moments later. Joshua was down again towards the end of the round in a massive turn around.

    At the time of stoppage Ruiz Jr. was leading the fight 57–56 on two scorecards and Joshua was leading 57–56 on the other. It is still considered to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of boxing.

  • Ruiz’s new diet revealed ahead of Joshua rematch

    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.

    “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.

    Botyh 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’s trainer exposes Ruiz ahead of rematch

    Anthony Joshua’s trainer exposes Ruiz ahead of rematch

    Anthony Joshua has been urged by his trainer to remain calm and use his reach to beat Andy Ruiz Jr when both boxers meet again in December 7 in Saudi Arabia.

    Joshua lost all of his world heavyweight belts in shocking fashion in New York in June but will go on a revenge mission in Diriyah.

    Robert McCracken will still be in his corner continuing their long-standing relationship and the pair are already devising a plan to change the outcome.

    Experienced trainer McCracken believes the much taller Brit must use his height and reach advantage and avoid making the same mistakes he made on a humbling night at Madison Square Garden.

    McCracken told TheSportsman.com: “I think the key factor is that Anthony stays calm, doesn’t rush and uses his reach to control Ruiz. In the first fight, he rushed it when he knocked Ruiz down, it’s very clear what he did wrong and he got caught. It’s a lesson learnt and I hope he can put it right in the rematch.

    “He’s just going to learn from the fight and prepare diligently. Ruiz is a great fighter, he’s a heavyweight champion and Anthony has got to be at his very best to beat him and win those titles back. He’s aware of that and that’s what he plans to do.”

    Like Joshua, McCracken came in for some criticism after Ruiz stunned the Brit at Madison Square Garden – but he has brushed off suggestions he could be replaced.

    McCracken added: “I think those comments are predictable. You have people in the sport who look at the negatives and you have those who try to make it better and make it work going forward. It’s nothing I care too much about. I and Anthony have a great relationship, he doesn’t just train with me, he trains with a variety of people over the years, but I’m the head coach whilst he wants me to be head coach.”

  • Joshua amends lifestyle ahead of clash with Ruiz

    Joshua amends lifestyle ahead of clash with Ruiz

    Anthony Joshua says he has been forced to make “drastic changes” to his lifestyle in a bid to win back the heavyweight titles he lost to Andy Ruiz earlier this year.

    Joshua, the former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight world champion, was knocked out by Ruiz in New York in June in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

    Dethroned champion Joshua says the magnitude of the loss has forced him to evaluate every aspect of his life as he prepares to face Ruiz in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on December 7th.

    “There will be no aftershock after the first fight. I will be smarter. Getting knocked down was good,” Joshua told said.

    “If I am smarter, I know I can pull it off. I don’t want to say it will be ‘Joshua 2.0 – I know what I was doing before was working, I just have to tweak little things and I will be perfect. Losing speeds up that process.

    “I have made some drastic changes, lifestyle stuff. Family, circles, what is important, priorities. The effort it takes to stay on the straight and narrow is challenging. I have to understand I am aiming to be a top athlete.

    “Boxing was always the easiest part for me. The struggle was always keeping my life in check. If I can do that, the boxing will fall into place.

    “There were distractions away from the ring but I never complained. He beat me fair and square, I had those distractions and I now have to make it better for myself.”

    December’s rematch is mired in controversy as the Saudis have faced intense diplomatic fallout over last year’s murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the conservative kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.

    Saudi rulers have utilised sport as a tool to soften their international image and to provide a showcase, they claim, for reforms inside the oil-rich state.

    In February, they hosted a first European Tour golf event which was won by former world number one Dustin Johnson while the world’s most gruelling motor sports race, the Dakar Rally, will be held in the country in 2020.

    Joshua however insists the staging of the fight in Saudi Arabia can be a force for good.

    “I have heard it (the issue of human rights) ever since the fight was announced, it’s a point of conversation but it’s a good thing that we are talking about it and they are acting on it to make a change,” said Joshua who was in New York on the second leg of a three-city media tour to publicise the fight.

    “They are making good changes and after having these types of conversations, I start realizing that yes, there is an issue there. My trips to the Middle East have been to Dubai and I have had fun. The reception has been good.”

    A return to New York was the preferred option until the lucrative offer to take the bout to Saudi Arabia became a reality.

    “It was part of the plan [to fight in New York again]. That was my preferred option,” Joshua confirmed.

    Promoter Eddie Hearn meanwhile insisted the bout would be the “heavyweight fight of a generation.”

    “The world will be watching an iconic moment in our sport,” Hearn said.

    “Don’t believe everything you hear. I have been there – what a place and what a moment this will be.”

  • Anthony Joshua visits Nigeria [Video]

    Former World Boxing Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua, arrived Nigeria Thursday for a visit.
    A video posted by Janet Joshua showed the champion being hailed by Nigerians at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos.
    Watch video below:
    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzySBbbHKCb/
     

  • Former world boxing champion Joshua is finished, Fury says

    Former world boxing champion Joshua is finished, Fury says

    Anthony Joshua is finished as a boxer after losing his world heavyweight titles to Andy Ruiz Jr, fellow-Briton Tyson Fury says.

    Fury, also a previous IBF, WBA and IBO champion, fights German underdog Tom Schwarz in a non-title bout in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

    The big Briton said Joshua had shown against Ruiz that he did not want to be in the ring.

    “When a man doesn’t want to be there once, he will always do it and it’s hard to come back from,” the self-styled ‘Gypsy King’ said on Wednesday.

    “It’s been done many different times by many different fighters. He did it that night and I don’t think he will come back from it. Finished. Ask any top trainer who has been around the sport a lifetime.

    “When he got to the ring I saw he didn’t want to be there.”

    Mexican-American Ruiz stopped 29-year-old Joshua in seven rounds at New York’s Madison Square Garden in a major upset on June 1.

    Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has said there will be a rematch, probably in November or December, with the venue to be decided.

    Fury is also scheduled for a rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder, with a date to be set.

    The Briton, whose fight with Schwarz is the first of a multi-fight broadcast deal agreed with ESPN in February, is the only boxer Wilder has faced and not defeated.

    That was after the pair battled to a draw in December in Los Angeles.

    Frank Warren, Fury’s British promoter, said in January that his man was bigger box-office than Joshua.

    “Everybody thought that man could beat me,” Fury said of Joshua. “In what world could he ever beat me? What were people seeing?

    “Physically Joshua could out-train everyone,” he added. “He would break every heart monitor, has probably worn out every treadmill in the gym, smashes the bag, (but) it’s all very unimportant.

    “The two best conditioned fighters in the last 20 years have been (Ukrainian Wladimir) Klitschko and Joshua and they both got done by two fat men.”

    Fury, now 30, beat Klitschko in 2015 for the titles he then lost due to a two-and-a-half year absence from the sport following mental health issues and a failed drug test.

  • Anthony Joshua vows to ‘bounce back’ after losing to Andy Ruiz

    Anthony Joshua vows to ‘bounce back’ after losing to Andy Ruiz

    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.”

    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.

  • Don Jazzy, Teebillz others react over Anthony Joshua defeat

    Anthony Joshua’s attempt to make a mark in his US debut ended in gloom for the three belt heavyweight world champion with a stunning loss to underdog Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

    Ruiz recorded a monster upset, by knocking down Britain’s Joshua four times to take the World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organization titles.

    As expected Nigerian celebrities took to their social media accounts to express their opinions over the sad loss.

    Ace music producer, Don Jazzy puts it this way:”Nothing do you champ, stay strong”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/ByMWqRxnNiV/

     

    Tunji Balogun a.k.a Teebillz wrote:” Y’all need to knock it off in the name of Naija! Bro is nice but needs to loose some of that weight to move quicker and stay in condition! I still got my bet on TILL THIS DAY any time!”

    Talk show host, Emmanuel Ugolee was more philosophical in analyzing Joshua’s loss.

    He said: Barely 10 mins after the bout and i have come across several uncomplementary remarks about the champ AJ. My people this is the world we live in. Cheering and rooting are sworn companions only of the prevailing win. Human support is allegic to down times, irrespective of pedigree. Who is he?…Anthony Joshua is a humble, easy going but haaaard working role model athlete. A VERY NICE GUY with 22 knock out wins from 23 undefeated fights. That’s not the kind of character you stop loving overnight”..

     

     

     

     

  • BREAKING: Mexican Ruiz knocks out Anthony Joshua in Round 7

    BREAKING: Mexican Ruiz knocks out Anthony Joshua in Round 7

    Andy Ruiz Jr. stunned British title-holder Anthony Joshua in the seventh round of their fight in New York on Saturday to become the first Mexican-American heavyweight world champion.

    Joshua, previously undefeated, was defending his IBF, WBA and WBO titles but was knocked down four times before underdog Ruiz was awarded a technical knockout.

    The loss at the Madison Square Garden was Joshua’s first in his stellar career. It was more stunning as the as the American-Mexican Ruiz, only took the fight at six week’s notice. He is now the owner of Joshua’s IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO world titles.

    Ruiz was an outsider in the match that bookmakers gave to Joshua 25-1.

    After flooring Ruiz with a left hook in the third round, Joshua hit the canvas when a right crashed against his temple. By the time a sensational three minutes was up he had been down again thanks to a flurry when cornered.

    It created an electric buzz amongst the 19,000 or so in the arena. Just what was happening? Were they going to see the unthiknable?

    Ruiz was not even supposed to be here. He took the bout at six weeks’ notice and tickets were being collected by fans 24 hours before the bout which still had the name of Jarrell Miller – Joshua’s original opponent – printed on them.

    By the seventh round, when Joshua touched down under a flurry of shots again, the game looked up. Seconds later he was down on all fours again and spat his gum shield out, perhaps to buy time.

    He simply did not have it. The bout was waved off and all that was planned for the glamour division was ripped up thanks to a man who had been dubbed unglamorous because of his rounded physique.

    Ruiz, from appearance to pedigree, was an underdog in every sense of the word. When Britons wake up on Sunday morning, they will read of a truly iconic upset.

  • Joshua’s U.S. debut fight in doubt as opponent Miller tests positive for banned substance

    Anthony Joshua’s U.S debut against Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller has been thrown into doubt after Miller tested positive for a banned substance.

    Matchroom Promotions supremo Eddie Hearn took to social media and announced that he had been informed by VADA of the positive test. The test, taken on March 20th from a random urine sample, has come back positive with a substance called GW1516 which is a banned performance-enhancing substance.

    ESPN broke the news, with Miller’s co-promoter Dmitry Salita saying he awaits further information and Miller is still in training for his June 1st fight.

    Miller (23-0-1, 20 KOs) had been reported to earn around $4.5 million for his fight against champion Anthony Joshua, it would appear his chance has been blown with the NYSAC unlikely to sanction the bout at Madison Square Gardens. A negative B sample and supporting evidence would be required for any chance of the fight going ahead.

    If the bout is cancelled, as seems likely, it is unclear who will step in to face Joshua.

    According to Eddie Hearn, Joshua will be fighting on June 1st. The obvious choice would have been Dillian Whyte, however, he has turned down an offer to face Joshua at Wembley Stadium in April, unhappy with the terms of the deal so it would appear unlikely he would travel to the U.S to take on Joshua.

    Joshua’s IBF mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev, has recently been suspended by the Californian State Athletic Commission after kissing a female reporter after their post-fight interview. His disciplinary is scheduled for May 18th.

    A more likely candidate could be Michael Hunter (16-1, 11 KOs), the former Olympic champion has only lost once against Oleksandr Usyk as a cruiserweight.

    Since moving to heavyweight he has won the vacant WBA International Heavyweight Title by beating Alexander Ustinov by TKO last November. Hunter seems to be interested.