Comments Thread For: Joshua: I Didn't Underestimate Ruiz; Nothing Was Wrong With Me

[GrandpaBernard]

Joshua isn't delusional.

Let see how he comes back and rises up from the ashes like a Phoenix

[amuroray]

He lost as his ability's were not enough.

Ive never been too hot on Aj, his skills are vastly overrated. In the UK hes seen as demigod - its joke. Hes a good heavyweight but nothing more.

Hes been on borrowed time for years.

[doom_specialist]

He didn’t overlook Ruiz. The red flags have been there for everyone that’s followed AJ’s career. We just chose to ignore him. He was hurt by Whyte. He dropped by a forty year old Wladimir that who was coming off a layoff, a loss, and who hadn’t looked good in a couple years. Yet we chose to pretend that it was some grand changing of the guard and/or iconic performance. And AJ hasn’t looked good since. He looked like crap against Takam. Parker hit him with some shots that had he been in the ring with Wilder, he’d probably be in a coma. And he was hurt by PEDvetkin. The warning signs have been there. His defense is subpar. He’s chinny. And his stamina and/or recovery ability after being stunned is terrible. It just all came to a head this past Sat night.

Don't include me in that bro. I've always said that Klitschko was just old lol.

For me personally, I just feel that if anyone would exploit such glaring weaknesses, it wouldn't be the overweight late replacement coming in with 5 weeks to train. Joshua seemed tired and out of it from the opening bell, and even before the fight started. It was like he was high or something. I'm sure you're right, but his overall behavior (including how happy he seemed to lose during his post-fight commentary) just struck me as odd.

[hitking]

Don't include me in that bro. I've always said that Klitschko was just old lol.

For me personally, I just feel that if anyone would exploit such glaring weaknesses, it wouldn't be the overweight late replacement coming in with 5 weeks to train. Joshua seemed tired and out of it from the opening bell, and even before the fight started. It was like he was high or something. I'm sure you're right, but his overall behavior (including how happy he seemed to lose during his post-fight commentary) just struck me as odd.

The way the boxing world reacted to him beating Wlad is one of the things I hate most about boxing. Boxing almost operates under the 80s WWF motto of, if it didn’t happen on TV, it didn’t happen. Like the myth that Andre the Giant hadn’t been bodyslammed before Hogan did it at Wrestlemania. Hell Hogan had slammed him dozens of times. Andre had been slammed multiple times over in Japan. But since it didn’t happen on American TV, it didn’t happen. Boxing is the exact same way. The powers that be pretended like Fury never beat Wlad. They pretended like Austin Trout didn’t outclass Cotto prior to the huge event with Canelo. They acted like Zahir Raheem didn’t outclass Erik Morales prior to his rematch with Manny. And the list goes on and on and on. It’s mind boggling to me.

[hitking]

Who else would you throw in as 5? Parker imo gets it just for being a former champ and having Andy on his resume.

Parker is top 5-6 him self. he is better than Ortiz with bigger resume.

You can’t rate Parker ahead of Wilder Andy fury. He’s lost to AJ and Whyte. Can’t put him ahead of them. It’s hard to put him ahead of Ruiz at this point because his win over Andy wasn’t exactly convincing. And Andy KO’d AJ. And personally, I rate Parker behind Ortiz and Povetkin. Pulev is also arguably better. I think he’s a top ten guy but definitely not unquestionably top five.

[hitking]

1 thing you have to remember, this is boxing at the highest level and you will get hit! It really matters more on how you take it and how you react. AJ's been down many times and has come back to win by KO/TKO. Problem this time he just ran into someone tougher. If anything Andy showed a "special" level of heart and you cant teach that. AJ leveled Ruiz and Ruiz got in his chest and threw down like a bad ass. There wasn't a HW in the game until Sunday morning that would've want to exchange lefts with AJ...


Honestly I think Usyk and Fury give Ruiz the hardest time because Fury can move and Usyk can match speed. Wilder IMO is another flawed mystery like AJ was.

Wilder isn’t a mystery. Wilder is technically inferior to most of the top heavyweights. But he hits like a freaking mule, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and knows how to land. He also takes a good shot. To beat him, you’re going to have to either outbox cleanly for twelve rounds. Or you’re gonna have to stop him before he lands on you. Because he has that special once in a generation type power that no one can afford to be hit cleanly by him more than a handful of times and expect to see the final bell. I have very little doubt in my mind that he’d spark Ruiz in devastating fashion.

[doom_specialist]

The way the boxing world reacted to him beating Wlad is one of the things I hate most about boxing. Boxing almost operates under the 80s WWF motto of, if it didn’t happen on TV, it didn’t happen. Like the myth that Andre the Giant hadn’t been bodyslammed before Hogan did it at Wrestlemania. Hell Hogan had slammed him dozens of times. Andre had been slammed multiple times over in Japan. But since it didn’t happen on American TV, it didn’t happen. Boxing is the exact same way. The powers that be pretended like Fury never beat Wlad. They pretended like Austin Trout didn’t outclass Cotto prior to the huge event with Canelo. They acted like Zahir Raheem didn’t outclass Erik Morales prior to his rematch with Manny. And the list goes on and on and on. It’s mind boggling to me.

I think it's a combination of understanding that people have really short attention spans, and knowing that boxing fandom is probably more casual than it has ever been. Just look at how people on this site post. Most people aren't following the sport, more than just following whoever is the most prominent from their country/continent.

[!! Shawn]

I'm with you on this. I don't think Ruiz is being given enough credit. He went into that fight not content to just be an opponent. He was dropped hard and got back up with clear eyes and fired back when AJ tried to finish him off.

He threw fast counters and threw in combinations that you rarely see in HW division. He has decent power but the real danger is in the speed and the fact that it's multiple punches thrown.

I also agree that Fury and Usyk would be difficult matchups stylistically for Ruiz.

Unless he knocks him out cold, I honestly don't think Joshua can beat Ruiz. Ruiz proved to be too fast for Joshua. He started problems by countering a not so lazy jab from joshua with a left hook right hand.

Joshua just isn't fast enough to get his hand back to defend himself from Ruiz's counters.

Every time he tried to let his hands go he got caught. Ruiz is fat and all, but he has always had really really fast hands for the division.

It really showed on the night.

The old saying is speed kills, and speed killed Joshua.

[!! Shawn]

Wilder isn’t a mystery. Wilder is technically inferior to most of the top heavyweights. But he hits like a freaking mule, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and knows how to land. He also takes a good shot. To beat him, you’re going to have to either outbox cleanly for twelve rounds. Or you’re gonna have to stop him before he lands on you. Because he has that special once in a generation type power that no one can afford to be hit cleanly by him more than a handful of times and expect to see the final bell. I have very little doubt in my mind that he’d spark Ruiz in devastating fashion.

I am not so sure. Wilder throws wide, and looping. Ruiz steps in, and most wilders shots would probably end up cuping and glancing with Ruiz speed once again being the difference.

Joshua isn't a light puncher, and he took his best and got up like Fury did to Wilder.

Some guys just got a chin. I think Ruiz is one of them.

Ruiz is also deceptively defensively responsible, and his speed makes guys keep their hands at home, if you have watched any of his other fights.

Wilder has decent speed, but he throws looping, so its not really effective speed. Ruiz throws short fast punches that get there before these big guys can even physically get out of the way if they try.

I think Tyson Furys style would beat Ruiz quit easily though. He would use his size properly and box him from range all night.

[buddyr]

Say what you want about AJ, but he's a real man that doesn't make excuses. I've been very critical of him, but he takes his loss like a man with no excuses