An ex-heavyweight champion says he was not trying to ‘go hard’ after dealing some serious damage. Anthony Joshua’s win over Jake Paul last month added another finish to his record, taking him up to 26 knockouts in 29 professional wins.
An ex-heavyweight champion says he was not trying to ‘go hard’ after dealing some serious damage.
Anthony Joshua’s win over Jake Paul last month added another finish to his record, taking him up to 26 knockouts in 29 professional wins.
Joshua’s power has never been in question. He has stopped names like Francis Ngannou and Wladimir Klitschko during his tenure at the top of the division.
But AJ has also ended up on the wrong side of a stoppage twice, and the first man to beat him as a pro – who shocked the world with one of boxing’s biggest upsets – still carries that same fight-changing power.
Andy Ruiz admits he did not want to box streamer after hurting him
Andy Ruiz’s win over Joshua in 2019 was one of the biggest shocks in recent heavyweight history, coming in as a late replacement and massive underdog.
He had to battle through some tough early moments before dropping ‘AJ’ four times and stopping him in the seventh round.
Since that historic night at Madison Square Garden, Ruiz has only fought four times. One of those bouts was an immediate rematch with Joshua.
The 36-year-old’s latest appearance was not against a traditional opponent but rather streamer Oblivion.
The streamer was wearing headgear during the session and took several hard shots before being dropped by a right hand. Afterwards, footage showed his jaw making a cracking sound.
Ruiz apologised for what happened, saying he “did not want to do this”. Oblivion later said he “blacked out” following the punch.
Andy Ruiz admits making a huge error ahead of his rematch with Anthony Joshua
Following his stoppage win over Joshua in June 2019, Ruiz was handed a massive chance later that year when they ran it back straight away.
A second victory over the Brit would have instantly cemented his position among the world’s elite heavyweights, confirming that his initial win was not a fluke.
This time around, though, it was Joshua who came out on top and avoided danger by using his movement to win comfortably over 12 rounds.
Following the fight, Ruiz reflected on the loss: “I don’t want to say that three months of partying affected me but, to tell the truth, it did.
“Being overweight held me back because I was looking for one or two punches, normally I go for three or four punches. It got the best of me.”
Category: General Sports
