AJ didn't quit, he was waiting for the ref to replace his gum-shield. Fact.

[Fenster]

Is anyone surprised that nobody in his team brought up the gum-shield? He clearly spit it out and the ref clearly picked it up. He was clearly shocked when the ref waved it off, he immediately looked at his corner saying "what the fuck!"

Buster Ruiz duffed him up good and proper, good for him, and AJ didn't make an excuse, good for him, but surely his team should have mentioned it. The state AJ was in was hardly different to the Wlad fight, which he came back from after looking exhausted.

[Primo Carnera]

There's gonna be loads of stories come out , some true , some not. Without making any excuses for him , because he was beat fair and square, I think he got mildly concussed in the 3rd round and didn't know where he was and couldn't recover. it looked like he had a couple of shots hit him on the top of the head, and while they didn't look as damaging as the shots he got hit by Wlad with , they obviously had more of an effect.
But even before he went down in the 3rd, it was looking like an awkward night for him and he wasn't sure how to cope with Ruiz's style.
And this is more important to me than the TKO, it's the adjustments he is capable of making for the rematch so that he can control the fight.
I think this is where we find out a lot about AJ AND his Trainer Rob McCracken.

[Fenster]

For sure he was fucked from the start, he kept saying to McCraken should I push him back now, should I push him back now. All the talk about him being "stiff" and having no "stamina, " and being "Frank Bruno" is the exact same since he turned pro.

Joshua of a couple of years ago would have blasted Ruiz out in 2 rounds.

[smashup]

I thought he did quit, he didn't exactly go apeshit at the ref when waved it off did he.
He said WTF once and that was it which isn't the reaction of a man who wanted to continue the fight.

[ykdadamaja]

Shit stoppage, IMHO. But the ref must have seen something or heard something he did not like from AJ.

[TitoFan]

I think we're being too harsh on AJ, as well as going overboard with the word "quit."

Should AJ have shoved the ref to the ground in obvious anger after the "wave-off"? AJ was clearly buzzed. He was leaning back into the corner, but looking at the ref. It's the ref's job to decide whether the fighter is apt to continue. Quitting, IMO, would've been if AJ had shaken his head no.... or voiced as much to the ref.

[Memphis]

It was a strange one given that he was upright in good time, responding to the referees instructions. You'd think he'd give him every opportunity to continue and decided that was the time to call it. There we're no histrionics from AJ or his team, a token protest from AJ himself but that was it. They knew he was toast so the ref you would have to say did a good job. He wasn't getting back into that.

They seemed to speak quite a bit in the corner before the ref waved it off.

[Mark TKO]

Agreed AJ didn't seem too fussed it was waved off or put up any protest and we've seen many boxers kick off when they want to continue.

See Lewis v McCall and Frank Maloney (now penisless) having a go afterwards

[powerpuncher]

It was a weird stoppage but not a terrible one. The ref told him to walk forward multiple times and AJ just stood there.

[Ron Swanson]

As many fighters have said “when you start looking to your corner you’re asking out, all fighters know this” add that the ref repeatedly asked him to step forward and he didn’t means good stoppage. How long had it been, 20 seconds? I’ll go count and edit this

Edit-24 seconds before he waved it off, that’s a long time

[Gandalf]

It was a strange one. My initial position was that it was an early stoppage as Joshua was having a nightmare but he didn't seem 'hurt'. I mean obviously he must have been to keep going down, but he certainly didn't get Fury'ed or anything like that. I assumed Joshua was being given extra time as he was the money man and he wasn't wobbling about or doing anything strange. He seemed to have his senses, though by walking backwards, hands down, eating punches in the 6th, maybe he didn't. But yes, he had a massive amount of time and seemed to show no desire to continue. You would never see James Toney acting like that. He would just shake his head, sneer, hold his hands up, and get back on with it. Joshua might have his Gold medal, but he wasn't born to fight like a Toney or a Calzaghe. Those guys took the punches and if they went down then straight back on with it.

[Fenster]

Joshua did step forward when asked and removed his hands from the ropes, he then stepped back. All the while the ref is holding his gum-shield in his left hand whilst counting with his right. Joshua isn't unresponsive, he's shocked at it being waved off.

I'm not disputing the refs decision, merely stating Joshua acted like a fighter expecting his gum-shield to be replaced after he'd obeyed the refs command.

There's literally dozens and dozens of other refs who would have put the gum-shield back in his mouth or handed it to the corner to rinse let alone took hold of his gloves when he stepped forward. Wiped them.

Does anyone seriously think Jack Reiss or Steve Smoger or Micky Vann or Kenny Bayless or Steve Willis would have acted the same way?

[Primo Carnera]

Joshua did step forward when asked and removed his hands from the ropes, he then stepped back. All the while the ref is holding his gum-shield in his left hand whilst counting with his right. Joshua isn't unresponsive, he's shocked at it being waved off.

I'm not disputing the refs decision, merely stating Joshua acted like a fighter expecting his gum-shield to be replaced after he'd obeyed the refs command.

There's literally dozens and dozens of other refs who would have put the gum-shield back in his mouth or handed it to the corner to rinse let alone took hold of his gloves when he stepped forward. Wiped them.

Does anyone seriously think Jack Reiss or Steve Smoger or Micky Vann or Kenny Bayless or Steve Willis would have acted the same way?

I agree that he didn't quit, but I think the ref (who lets not forget is a foot away from the fighter.) made a good stoppage. maybe he should've given the gum shield to the corner to rinse and put back in, but maybe he didn't bother because he knew it was over.
at the end of the day, this is all periphery. Even Eddie admitted, the fight was done.

[TitoFan]

Food for thought here:

First as I've already stated, I don't believe Joshua "quit". Was he raring to go when he got up? No. He was still buzzed and the ref ultimately did the right thing. But the word "quit" is thrown around too loosely in boxing.

Also, I've seen that the majority on here have stated their own opinions as well, that Joshua didn't quit.

Howeverrrrrrrr.............

Had the exact same thing happened to Wilder instead..... would we have the same people saying the same things?

[KickMuck]

He was a beaten man. I think it was a case of just howmuch do you want to see the man beaten. Ref did a good job and stopped it. All we can all do is imagine what would have happened if he put the mouth peice back in and let them continue. Maybe he would have shook it off and got back in to the fight. Or maybe beaten to a pulp and exited the ring like David Price.

Regardless of what happened i will take the positives. Its great to see an upset of this caliber. And lets face it AJ is gonna come back with a bit of fire in his belly and take them belts back. Its all good for HW boxing, it has ruffled the feathers of the division. It will prompt fights that where hesitant and stale to happen. I love a good upset regardless of who it is.