Briton has had chance to step back and reassess after defeat in June while Andy Ruiz Jr may have gone full Buster Douglas
When Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr face off on Saturday night in the most controversial world heavyweight title fight for more than 40 years, their rules of engagement will be those of the Marquis of Queensberry and not Mr Olympia. But as the two men touched the scales in Saudi Arabia it was impossible to ignore their respective physiques. Joshua sported a six-pack. His opponent looked as if he had just drunk one.
Joshua has been relaxed all week, despite the mounting criticism from Amnesty International that taking around £60m from a kingdom that has an “abysmal” human rights record, including jailing and executing opponents, was a serious misstep. But the sight of Ruiz weighing in at 20st 3lb, the second highest in heavyweight championship history behind the Russian giant Nikolai Valuev, has surely sent his confidence surging.
Written by Sean Ingle in Riyadh
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/dec/06/anthony-joshua-andy-ruiz-jr-fine-tuned-riyadh-redemption under the title “Anthony Joshua fine-tuned and ready to claim redemption in Riyadh | Sean Ingle”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
