-
I saw it very differently. I thought Ruiz footwork was causing AJ problems including lowering his guard. I felt Ruiz controlled the fight well.
They had the same time to prepare for each other so that’s a mute point.
I do think motivation could have been an issue, whatever the result AJ wasn’t coming out of it well.
I’m still not convinced AJ will win a rematch
GoatandTricycle-
You’re betting on a Ruiz knockout win in that case.
My best guess is that AJ’s training camp will be loaded with guys that fight on the inside, this time for more than a month.
Ruiz typically fights guys much taller with bigger reach. He’s tuned into that type of fighter. Joshua has not fought a 6’2” opponent with a limited reach of 74” competitively in a long time. If you don’t think that has an impact on preparation than I don’t know what does.
Again not taking anything away from Ruiz, he did extremely well. But to win against AJ in his own backyard he’s going to have to win by knockout.
jaw
Joshua was flat footed, sluggish and to a point disinterested. Ruiz seemed to walk right through his jab. He also had only one month to prepare for Ruiz whereas Ruiz basically extended his training camp.
Hearn and AJ bet on the wrong fight this time. You can’t take anything away from
Ruiz, he fought him on the inside fair and square. Will he be able to repeat at Wembley? I have my doubts.