Anthony Joshua has received a lot of criticism over the years for his choice of opponent. We are seeing this again with his upcoming fight against Andy Ruiz Jr, and while he is admittedly a weak opponent in relation to Joshua’s trajectory towards ‘undisputed’ status, can Joshua be blamed for having this particular fight?
In reality, this fight is a combination of circumstances that were out of Joshua’s control. He had booked a place in Wembley in April with the intention of fighting Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury. However, after their draw, it seemed as though those two fighters were going to rematch.
It was made clear then that the Wembley date wasn’t going to happen, and the expected Joshua v Wilder superfight remains firmly ‘on ice’, even though it is still a popular topic for debate:
Alternate options reflect limited scope
In the aftermath, Joshua then signed to fight Jarrell Miller, with the assumption that Fury and Wilder would be tied up fighting each other. Due to boxing politics, that never materialised but by that time it was too late and the contracts were already signed.
With the Wembley fight unavailable, Eddie Hearn wanted Joshua to fight on U.S soil against an American, and Miller was the only realistic opponent around. He had already fought Dillian Whyte, Alexander Povetkin and Joseph Parker by this point, and ultimately, no-one else could give him a competitive fight except for Luis Ortiz.
Wilder and Fury deserve some blame for their choice of fight but not Joshua – not this time. While vastly inferior to Joshua, Ruiz is still a capable fighter who might be able to put up some resistance, and silence the critics who grow increasingly impatient for the coronation of an undisputed heavyweight champion.
13 November 1999: The last crowning of an undisputed heavyweight champion.
Tale of the tape
There were many questions around Joshua in his early career but they have been answered. He can take a shot, he still hits ferociously hard and he can go the distance. It’s hard to find an angle where Ruiz can win the fight, aside from a freak lucky shot.
In terms of opponent caliber and physique, this feels like a similar fight to the Eric Molina bout. In that fight, Molina tried to play rope-a-dope, but that only really works if the boxer in question has the movement and athleticism of a Muhammad Ali – suffice to say, Molina did not.
Joshua easily disposed of him, and will likely do the same to Ruiz. As if he didn’t already hold all the proverbial cards, Joshua will also have an eight-inch reach advantage going into the fight, and Ruiz will find it extremely difficult to get past that deadly jab.
It would be surprising if it’s a good fight from a competitive standpoint. Joshua could well try and put on a show, especially after Wilder’s 1st round KO against Dominic Breazeale.