Anthony Joshua Vows to Knock Out Andy Ruiz Jr. in a Trilogy

Unified heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua lost his ‘unbeaten’ tag against an underdog Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019- a loss that itches him to this day.

Although Joshua avenged the defeat in the re-match, he couldn’t claim it via stoppage. That makes Ruiz Jr. the only adversary of Anthony Joshua’s career to walk-off without being knocked out.

Prior to his high-voltage title defense against Kubrat Pulev, ‘AJ’ desired to face Ruiz Jr. for the third time and appeared confident about knocking him out.

The Brit proved his worth in the second fight against ‘The Destroyer’. He outpointed the Mexican thoroughly. However, Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz’s differences in size and shape have made the analysts dive in to ridicule the former.

People apparently envisioned Joshua to knock out Ruiz Jr. But he lost the first fight via TKO and won the second via judge’s decision.

The world champion looked back at his rivalry with Andy Ruiz Jr. in interaction with BBC, he said, “I got straight back into training and I went back to learning. It wasn’t training to get fit. It was more the mistakes I knew I was making, the mistakes my training team have identified and I went straight into the learning phase again.”

He added, “I learned about the mental aspect as well of the game. So I got tough and unfortunately, it led to a performance where I had to stick and move.”

Can Anthony Joshua knockout Andy Ruiz Jr.?

While excuses for the losses are common in the heavyweight circuit, Joshua accepted his defeat with no justification. He returned to reclaim his titles and is now ready to defend them against a new challenger, one more time.

Although he claims to have felt the heat against ‘The Destroyer’, he is also confident about taking him out via stoppage in a third encounter.

Joshua said, “I didn’t want to be labeled a ‘quitter’ or a ‘loser’ or someone that’s not meant to be part of the heavyweight dynasty that we’re in now.”

He continued, “Yeah, I felt that pressure, but looking back, I’d love to go back and fight Ruiz again, because rematch or no rematch, I’ll knock him out.”

Primarily, AJ needs to defend his titles successfully against ‘The Cobra’ Kubrat Pulev. After that, he has several doors open, inclusive of a title unification against Tyson Fury.

It is no surprise that after December 12 the direction of the heavyweight boxers will be a lot clearer. Do you think AJ will win against Pulev? Will he challenge Andy Ruiz Jr to a trilogy fight in the future?

Read More | Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev: Preview, How to Watch, Date, Time, and Undercard