Anthony Joshua would ‘love to go back and fight Andy Ruiz Jr again’ so he could knock him out after the unified world heavyweight champion admitted he ‘toughened up mentally’ to win back his titles in their rematch
- Anthony Joshua would love to fight Andy Ruiz Jr for a third time to knock him out
- Joshua suffered a humiliating first defeat of his career to the Mexican last year
- With his career on the line, Joshua put on a boxing masterclass in their rematch
- The Brit won on a unanimous points decision to reclaim his four titles
- Now Joshua has revealed he wants a third fight so he can knock his rival out
Anthony Joshua has revealed that he would love to fight Andy Ruiz Jr one more time – just so he can knock him out.
Joshua suffered a shocking first defeat of his professional career at the hands of the Mexican in New York last year, with the Brit dropped four times before being stopped in the seventh round.
With his career on the line, Joshua put on a boxing masterclass in their rematch six months later, which saw Joshua outclass his rival and win their second bout on a unanimous points decision to reclaim his four titles.
Anthony Joshua (R) would love to fight rival Andy Ruiz Jr (left) for a third time to knock him out
Joshua has admitted that he had to ‘toughen up mentally’ to get back to his best for the fight in Saudi Arabia last year to show the world that he was no ‘quitter’ and was in fact the better boxer.
‘I got straight back into training and I went back to learning,’ Joshua told BBC Sport.
‘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.
‘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.
Joshua suffered a humiliating first defeat of his career to the Mexican in New York last year
It was the first defeat of Joshua’s professional career, which saw him lose all four titles to Ruiz
‘Because I didn’t want to be labelled a “quitter” or a “loser” or someone that’s not meant to be part of the heavyweight dynasty that we’re in now.
‘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.
‘Because, I’ve become tougher, more relentless over the last year.
‘And that fight – going back on Saturday with Dubois and Joyce – showed me how relentless and how tough you have to be in this business.’
For the time being, Joshua will have to put a third fight with Ruiz to the back of mind as he prepares to defend his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles against Kubrat Pulev on Saturday.
The 31-year-old knows victory against Pulev on the weekend will keep him on track for an undisputed heavyweight title clash with WBC champion Fury in 2021 – with the pair having already agreed the finances on a two-fight deal.
With his career on the line, AJ beat Ruiz on a unanimous point decisions to win his titles back
However, along with Pulev, Fury and Ruiz, Joshua is still targeting a fight with Deontay Wilder despite him losing his WBC strap to the Gypsy King.
‘He [Wilder] is another challenger. The offer still stands when he’s ready and he’s man enough to not lie, be real,’ Joshua told the Off The Cuff show on DAZN.
‘It wasn’t nice when they were trying to tarnish my name. It’ll be good to get [him to] stop [the] PR stunts and get a fight underway.’
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