Ruiz Jr vs Joshua: No Time For Excuses

Ruiz Jr vs Joshua: No Time For Excuses

It was supposed to be the big launch across the pond, but welcome to America turned instead to welcome to hell.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, Anthony Joshua didn’t pay enough attention to one of the oldest sayings in the unpublished book of motivational quotes. Andy Ruiz took advantage, took Joshua’s world heavyweight titles and so much more.

In just a few hours Joshua gets the chance to get back what he once had. The odds are closer, demons need to be conquered, in a fight of monstrous importance, with even bigger implications.

If Joshua loses again, especially if that defeat is devastating, he could well walk away for good.

For Eddie Hearn, a win for his golden boy is a must. On the back of apparent reported disappointing recent PPV numbers, Joshua is the lottery ticket for the UK PPV market. Despite the public narrative, a second loss to Ruiz is a seismic setback for Hearn, Matchroom and Sky.

The decision to go to Saudi Arabia was controversial, talk of growing the sport, growing the bank balance perhaps a more accurate reason for the decision to take Joshua away from home comforts, a decision they may live to regret.

As special as the event is, and it truly is something quite extraordinary, I wonder how much more special it would have been if they had decided to take the show to Cardiff. Less money maybe, but a stadium full of Joshua fans would be an extra percent added to his cause.

Ruiz came in heavy, maybe not as heavy as the scales said, but I wonder if the rematch like the first fight will be decided by how each fighter has prepared.

Joshua looks ready, lighter, focussed, he now knows what Ruiz brings to the party, has the champion partied too much since that shock win in June, he looks as though he might have.

But Ruiz was overlooked last time, and his appearance this time shouldn’t be an excuse to do so again. Appearances can be deceiving, and Joshua must not allow his mind to be deceived once again.

In New York, Joshua was a brand, an unmotivated fighter who felt beating the chubby opponent in front of him meant nothing, now it means everything.

Joshua seems to have woken from just going through the motions, he looks and feels like a fighter again, motivated and gunning for revenge. Ruiz will face a different version tonight, he will come looking for Joshua, he might not like what he finds.