[Other Sport] Is Anthony Joshua going down to the fat man?

London Irish said:

Ruiz clearly was carrying extra weight into this fight, he has a version of dad bod.

So question to all of those who know about boxing.

Does this matter a huge amount?

And - What if he came back for the rematch with that extra weight gone and just pure muscle like Joshua.

Would he be x times better?

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Adders1 said:

A brawler with good hand speed and a granite chin may get out boxed, or he could KO a boxer as we saw

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symyjym said:

Complacency in fighting the substitute fighter. Apparently he trained with armatures to help understand his opponent better. Whoops

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Albion Dan said:

Andy Ruiz is a FAR better boxer than Anthony Joshua.

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LVGull said:

The fight reminded me of Danny Garcia vs Amir Kahn a few years back. DG given no chance at all

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Albion Dan said:

That Rahman was a super lucky punch though. Ruiz systematically gave AJ a proper beat down over 6 rounds that ultimately led to AJ more or less quitting by refusing to hold his gloves up in front of the ref. All his flaws have been magnified and exposed. Its going to be a very tough road back and that is if he even really has the heart. A rematch is far from the formality that the Lewis scenario was and could well be the complete end of AJs career.

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Herr Tubthumper said:

I don’t follow boxing but I’m intrigued by the various threads on here. Could his career really be at a complete end due to one defeat? I appreciate it could play out this way but even so, there’s surely many other more plausible outcomes? The first defeat on a boxer’s CV really does seem to bring about all manner of seemingly extreme suggestions.

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Normal Rob said:

Potentially, yes. Probably, no.
There are a lot of people with very diverse opinions about AJ, the weekends defeat has been meat and drink to the critics who are lauding it as being proof to all that they have been saying previously.
My own take on it is that AJ was a fighter who lost his way – you don’t get to be a 3 belt champion of the world by being a mug, no matter what anyone says. A horrible mixture of that slimeball Hearn alongside a split in the divisions and TV networks meaning that the Heavyweight division as a whole has completely lost any focus, arguably all contributed to his downfall on Saturday night. Can he win them back? I think he can, yes, but whether or not, with multi millions in the bank, he will do so is debateable. It’s very easy to think that he will do so because he would not want his legacy to be ‘the fella who ‘lost to the fat mexican’ but it will take a lot of hard graft to build himself back up to where he needs to be. Every time a boxer steps, especially the heavyweights, in the ring they are laying their life/health on the line. Might AJ want to retire with £50m in the bank and all of his faculties? Possibly.

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Herr Tubthumper said:

I don’t follow boxing but I’m intrigued by the various threads on here. Could his career really be at a complete end due to one defeat? I appreciate it could play out this way but even so, there’s surely many other more plausible outcomes? The first defeat on a boxer’s CV really does seem to bring about all manner of seemingly extreme suggestions.

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Albion Dan said:

Taking an instant rematch against Ruiz could prove an even bigger mistake than taking him as the stand in to Miller in the first place. AJ needs to build his confidence and do some serious readjustment work in the gym. Hearn maybe jumping up and down desperate to get his cash cow back but can see Rob McCracken trying to steer the ship another direction because unlike the smarmy car salesman he actually cares about his fighter.

AJ aside I'm loving where this leaves Hearn. Beyond AJ the only real grade A fighter he's got left is Callum Smith and he's now upset ALOT of people in the game. Old fish eyes Frank Warren must be loving this.

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The Kid Frankie said:

Oh come on - a lot of people knew Garcia could bang and Khan is a KO waiting to happen. Khan was favoured by the pundits and the bookies granted, but there were plenty who knew Garcia had more than a punchers chance.

I was that confident Joshua would win I didn't even bother watching the fight. I was dissapointed with the choice of Miller as an opponent let alone his stand in. I woke up yesterday morning and checked Sky Sports on my phone expecting to see the headline 'Joshua Eases Past Ruiz in 3' or something similar. I was that surprised I sat bold upright and woke up the missus to tell her (she was not impressed). I made the classic mistake of forgetting how easily things can be turned upside down in boxing...

This reminded me more of David Price vs Tony Thompson. An opponent he was expected to walk through but had a style that he had no answer for. It sometimes happens in boxing. The more I take the time to think about it the more I am starting to think we could see a repeat rather than revenge later this year. You see it often where a clearly more talented boxer cannot find a way to beat an opponent that has a style they really struggle with.

If at the end of all this heavyweight merry go round the man with all the belts was Ruiz it would be one of the funniest and heart warming stories in sport.

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Albion Dan said:

Taking an instant rematch against Ruiz could prove an even bigger mistake than taking him as the stand in to Miller in the first place. AJ needs to build his confidence and do some serious readjustment work in the gym. Hearn maybe jumping up and down desperate to get his cash cow back but can see Rob McCracken trying to steer the ship another direction because unlike the smarmy car salesman he actually cares about his fighter.

AJ aside I'm loving where this leaves Hearn. Beyond AJ the only real grade A fighter he's got left is Callum Smith and he's now upset ALOT of people in the game. Old fish eyes Frank Warren must be loving this.

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swd40 said:

Hearn has his feet well under the DAZN table doesnt he? Matchroom USA to promote, far bigger pond of fish to milk for him now.
He does not need SKY or the UK stable.

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Half Time Pies said:

Its strange isn't it boxers are either totally rubbish or world beaters in many peoples eyes, there seems to be no in between.

Clearly you don't win a olympic gold and the unified world championship by being rubbish regardless of what many people on here are now making after Joshua has suffered one loss.

What I found interesting was Tyson Fury's message to Joshua on Twitter.

"We have our back and Forth’s but [MENTION=2735]ant[/MENTION]honyfjoshua changed his stars through life. heavyweight boxing, these things happen, rest up, recover, regroup and come again"

Despite all the bravado and ill will of the past Fury knows more than anyone the work that boxers have to put in to get to the top and the pressure that the general public put on them. Its a pressure that after all caused him to have a mental breakdown. Boxers are after all only human and will have bad days and make mistakes like the rest of us.

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Tom Hark said:

A dazed Anthony Joshua asks his corner man ‘why am I feeling like this?’ at the end of round six

Anyone else smell fish?

Should really be beating flabby Mexican journeymen...

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Tom Hark said:

A dazed Anthony Joshua asks his corner man ‘why am I feeling like this?’ at the end of round six

Anyone else smell fish?

Should really be beating flabby Mexican journeymen...

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