By: Hans Themistode
Anthony Joshua has a chance to be apart of history. This time, for the reason that he wants.
When the former Heavyweight champ crossed over the Atlantic to take on Andy Ruiz Jr, at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, it was supposed to be the beginning of his take over. Instead, it turned into the end.
Andy Ruiz and Anthony Joshua Final Press Conference ahead of their IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO heavyweight title fight Saudi Arabia this Weekend.
4th December 2019.
Picture By Mark Robinson.
Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing
As you know by now, Ruiz stopped the former champ in the seventh round of their contest. They are now set to do it again. Saying that his June 1st, matchup against Ruiz was the end is a little hyperbole but if he loses this rematch this weekend in Saudi Arabia, it certainly will.
Needless to say, this is a must win for Joshua. If he can take a break from his busy day and read these keys to victory, he will be able to call himself a champion once again.
Throw The Jab
With a four inch height advantage and a ridiculous eight inches in reach on his side as well, Joshua has a few physical features in his favor. For Ruiz to come out with this victory, he will need to come in close. Joshua on the other hand needs to keep him back.
When the fight is at long distance, Joshua should be able to make it a cake walk. When Ruiz finds his way inside however, it’s a whole different ball game. Ruiz is going to put the pressure on him but Joshua needs to make him pay every time he comes in.
No Slugging
The first contest between the two should be the fight of the year. This time around, Joshua should turn it into a boring matchup. When it comes to simply meeting in the center of the ring and slugging it out, Joshua is great at it, but Ruiz is on a whole other level.
“I just love to bang it out, so if that’s what he wants to do I’m cool with that.” Said Ruiz during a recent interview. “Banging it out” is not something that Joshua wants to do. Joshua is better than Ruiz in every category but when things are in close, Joshua enters the world of Ruiz.
Be Prepared Mentally
Listen, we can sit here and dissect Joshua all we want. The fact of the matter is that he is a great fighter. He doesn’t necessarily need to change his entire game plan in order to win this fight. He simply needs to show some mental toughness.
Joshua may have sported an undefeated record for over six years, but he has never been a perfect fighter. He has been hurt against Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin. In each of those fights however, he simply bit down on his mouthpiece and dug deep. Against Ruiz, he didn’t do that. If Joshua can simply come to grips with the fact that this will be the most difficult fight of his career, than he can overcome his mental issues and bring home his titles.