Joshua v Ruiz

[armin]

I read on a Twitter comment that Joshua fasted due to it being Ramadan. is he a Muslim and a practicing one? if that's the case and they choose to schedule the fight when they did he and his team are nuts

[Master]

I read on a Twitter comment that Joshua fasted due to it being Ramadan. is he a Muslim and a practicing one? if that's the case and they choose to schedule the fight when they did he and his team are nuts

He could be, he was praying on the floor afterwards.

[mrbig1]

Watch the fight 3 times. Whenever Joshua would land a big shot he come to Ruiz punching range. Those counter left and overhand rights caught him again and again. He kept trying to get back at Ruiz. Instead of boxing at long range letting Ruiz come to him and not the other way around.

[X]

I read on a Twitter comment that Joshua fasted due to it being Ramadan. is he a Muslim and a practicing one? if that's the case and they choose to schedule the fight when they did he and his team are nuts

Doesn't Sound true to me ......

There have been many excellent Muslim fighters throughout history, and Ramadan has never effected them.

Plus, there are many legitimate reasons why Muslims can be exempted from fasting, and being an athlete is accepted as one of them.


I don't think he is Muslim anyway. His family has a Nigerian background but they are Christian Nigerians. There is no love lost between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria so it's very rare for anyone to cross over. AJ is British brought up, so he may be more open to changing but his family might find it difficult to accept.

With his wish to promote his brand to sell more deodorant and cornflakes , being a Muslim probably isn't helpful in this day and age.

i can see why he might want to keep it quiet ...... but it doesn't sound too true

[smashup]

AJ was photographed praying in a mosque a few years ago so it could be true.
I know for gospel that they changed his training routine loads for this fight and brought in sports scientists etc from Under Armour and Navy Seal soldiers.
He had nothing in the tank at all after the first KO.
Reminded me of Bruno when he used to get hurt, he just became a sitting duck with his arms stupidly low and zero head movement.
He was even heard saying to Rob McCracken " why am I feeling like this" between rounds then asking him "what's Ruiz gonna do next"
Odd things to say.
Personally I think AJ could be finished.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.c...t-9739219/amp/

[Spicoli]

Been thinking that Ruiz does much better than expected over the first half. All the pieces for a major let down for Joshua are there though thinking shocking upset is a biiiig ol stretch. But I think Ruiz will find him often and may even be up on cards before his face falls apart and the roof falls in on the huge underdog.

So so undercard. Josh Taylor v Ray Robinson might turn into a decent little scrap. Glad Robinson is getting the shot after being screwed by the judges last time out.

Had to hey technically I was right , Ruiz Jr was ahead at the time of the stoppage

Helluva fight on re watch. Breaking a guy down is accurate and Ruiz proved a seriously underrated boxer, he kept him measured throughout. What I worry the most now are the alphabet boys and when does the stripping or fast mandatories begin? Division and plans have been turned right on their heads.

[greynotsoold]

Another feather in the cap of Manny Robles, the trainer of Ruiz, and son of the legendary Chato Robles. He is a great guy and very astute; he certainly made the right choice when he walked away from Breazeale some time back.

[Mark TKO]

I agree with Smash.

I think it could be over for AJ at the top. Wasn't a one punch haymaker that finished him he was dismantled.

The mountain he has to climb mentally is fucking huge.

[Baal]

Outcome when fighter v athlete

[Beanz]

It is what boxing is all about. No team mates or manager to blame, on the night the outcome is never nailed on, and that uncertainty, however unlikely, is what keeps people tuning in and turning up. Joe is right a lot of credit goes to Robles and his fight plan, but also his ability to get Ruiz to believe in himself. On the night Ruiz had that focus and it was no one punch fluke that put those belts in his hands. Ruiz executed the gameplan thru adversity. He got clocked and yet did not let that make him lose his focus. Joshua may have always been susceptible to an overhand right but spotting a flaw an executing a strategy to make someone pay for it, is a different thing all together.

It does not make Joshua a hype job or a mere bodybuilder like Wilder and Fury have been saying it makes him a pro at the top of his game. That is why he is in dangerous situations everytime he gets into a ring with hungry well trained professional fighters who want to take his head off. He does not have to become a Kiltschko tribute act to be successful and regain his position but he does have a mountain to climb. The advantage he has is that he has climbed that mountain several times and can do so again. Ruiz knows how to make the most out of what he has and make that work for him. Joshua has been fortunate, or unfortunate enough, to get by by sometimes not always fighting smart and opting to box and instead getting into a war because the guy has heavy hands. AJ does not always have perfect technique or one punch stopping power but he has been able to make people wary and then follow thru on those heavy warnings with a decent finishing instinct. When Ruiz was able to negate that tactic of Joshua he was all out of answers. He was never going to compete with speed and combos and when Ruiz got back up he lost belief even in his ability to defend himself, let alone install any fear and wariness into Andy and then capitalize on that hesitation.

He is not going to be transformed into a speed machine in four months. He is not going to become a Manny Steward fighter either or develop a jab that nobody can get beyond in 16 weeks. It is a big challenge for McCracken if he is going to devise a strategy that gives Joshua the ability to make Ruiz think twice before marching in and holding the centre of the ring.

Respect to Ruiz and it is great after all this time that Mexico, without whom boxing would be a far poorer and duller sport, now has a Heavyweight Champion to add to their great boxing tradition. Respect to Joshua for putting all the belts on the line and going to America to do so when he could easily have stayed at home for the rest of his career. It was beyond stupid to hand the belts to Ruiz and that condescending attitude, however well meaning was surely evidence of his bootlaces unraveling long before he stepped in the ring. Do not get me wrong, he did not slip up or trip up, he had those belts taken away after a solid hammering from a more than worthy opponent, but he was asking for it the moment he lost sight of the fact that anyone getting themselves in a position to step into the ring opposite him, deserved his full focus and attention.

Even Charles Martin would have lasted longer than two rounds against the AJ who fought Ruiz. The rematch,if Joshua does not regain that focus, may simply be a re-run with an even more decisive finish. If AJ can get back into the centre of the ring and dictate things next time, the potential is there for him to climb back up the mountain. Whatever happens it may make the likelihood of Fury and/or Wider fighting Ruiz or AJ for those belts much more realistic and that is something to celebrate.

[TIC]

The Simpsons "Predictive Programming"

[SlimTrae]

He is not going to be transformed into a speed machine in four months. He is not going to become a Manny Steward fighter either or develop a jab that nobody can get beyond in 16 weeks. It is a big challenge for McCracken if he is going to devise a strategy that gives Joshua the ability to make Ruiz think twice before marching in and holding the centre of the ring.


.

When I read posts describing what AJ should have done or needs to do next time, the above comes to mind.

[SlimTrae]

Some funny posts here, just perused & a few standouts.


1. It's quite handy for AJ, he might be able to get Ruiz to give him a lift home in his Uber after the fight

2. I'm not sure where this confidence in ruiz is coming from, ruiz is going to be splatted :S

3. I just think that there’s no way Ruiz wins. I don’t see the knockout and even if he bests AJ, he won’t get the decision

4. AJ in under six once he starts land clean it's good night chaps.

5. Can't blame Ruiz for taking this fight. It'll keep him in Twinkies for a couple of decades.

6. AJ is about to beat down a jovial skilled Winnie The Pooh


& some guy name Slimtrae said:
The only way it would change if one of the big 3 performances doesn't live up to par. With that being said AJ UD Ruiz.
He was wrong.

[Beanz]

Forgot to say. Respect to @Dark Lord Al for trusting his instincts and backing the underdog. I expect that comes from being around boxing a long time. I could not have spotted it in a month of Sundays.

[Dark Lord Al]

Forgot to say. Respect to @Dark Lord Al for trusting his instincts and backing the underdog. I expect that comes from being around boxing a long time. I could not have spotted it in a month of Sundays.

May go out to celebrate today