NEW YORK -- Anthony Joshua will make his long-awaited U.S. debut on June 1 on DAZN. Originally the IBF, WBA, and WBO heavyweight champion was supposed to fight New York native Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller but that fight was scraped after Miller tested positive for a banned substance. So in stepped the talented and often overlooked Ruiz who will be getting his second shot at a world title.
Like in most of his fights Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) will enjoy a serious size advantage over Ruiz. The U.K. native stands at 6-feet, 6-inches tall and has a reach of 82-inches. He uses his size well, fighting being a strong jab. That jab helps set up his power punches and he has serious power in both hands. While Joshua's best punch is his left hook he also has a nice straight right hand and when he gets inside he likes to throw uppercuts that look like he's trying to take his opponent's head off. Joshua's offensive ability and physique are much more impressive than his defense. He is usually there to be hit and was dropped by Wladimir Klitschko and buzzed by Dillian Whyte, although he usually recovers quickly.
The 29-year-old Joshua began his professional career in 2013 and has done nothing but win ever since. His resume features many familiar names, including Whyte, Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin. Unfortunately one name that isn't on Joshua's resume is Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion. Wilder just signed on for a rematch against Luis Ortiz so a fight between him and Joshua will have to wait even longer. There's no doubt that Joshua is a star in the U.K. but in order to make a name for himself in the U.S. he needs to keep winning and eventually give fans the Wilder showdown they've been craving. He will need to take care of business against a very talented Ruiz first though.
Ruiz (32-1, 21 KOs) is one of the most talented fighters in the heavyweight division. He lacks top tier power but makes up for that with his hand speed and ability to throw combinations so well. Ruiz will be at a serious size disadvantage against Joshua though and will be giving up 4-inches in height, and more importantly, 8-inches in reach. Ruiz has a nice jab that he loves to stick to the body and he will often follow it with a good looking straight right hand upstairs. The California native also has a strong left hook and while he doesn't have the same type of power as Joshua he definitely has enough to earn his opponent's respect. Ruiz is at his best when he's mixing his attack upstairs and to the body and letting his hands go. Defensively Ruiz has proven himself to be very sturdy and has never been dropped as a pro.
There is no doubt that fighting Joshua will be the biggest bout of Ruiz's career. He doesn't have a resume filled with marquee names and some of his notable opponents are mid-level fighters like Tor Hamer, Siarhei Liakhovich, and Alexander Dimitrenko. His best opponent to date is Joseph Parker and while Parker handed him his first career loss via majority decision that was a fight that could have easily gone Ruiz's way or been a draw but in Parker's hometown Ruiz wasn't going to get any help from the judges. Now Ruiz will look to shake up the heavyweight division by beating Joshua.
Ruiz certainly has the skills to compete with any heavyweight but against Joshua he will be at a disadvantage when it comes to size and power. Ruiz is going to need to stay busy with his jab and use it to work his way inside where he can try and catch Joshua with left hooks and right hands. He doesn't usually cut the ring off all that well but he will need to against the bigger, longer Joshua. If Ruiz can get to the pocket consistently his speed could give Joshua issues. Joshua won't need to work as hard to win this fight. He is much bigger and stronger and as long as he can keep Ruiz at the end of his punches he should be able to control rounds. Expect Joshua to use his jab a lot in an attempt to keep Ruiz on the outside while picking his spots to land his power punches and while he might not be as busy as he was in past fights, as long as he lands the power shots he should be fine.
PREDICTION: Andy Ruiz is going to give Anthony Joshua plenty of problems in this fight. His hand speed and combination punching will force Joshua to work hard for all 12 rounds because Ruiz won't be getting stopped in this fight. Ruiz won't be winning the fight either though. Joshua's ability to control the distance and his power punching will be the difference and he will come away with the close but clear unanimous decision.
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| Joshua celebrating his stoppage of Alexander Povetkin |
The 29-year-old Joshua began his professional career in 2013 and has done nothing but win ever since. His resume features many familiar names, including Whyte, Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin. Unfortunately one name that isn't on Joshua's resume is Deontay Wilder, the WBC champion. Wilder just signed on for a rematch against Luis Ortiz so a fight between him and Joshua will have to wait even longer. There's no doubt that Joshua is a star in the U.K. but in order to make a name for himself in the U.S. he needs to keep winning and eventually give fans the Wilder showdown they've been craving. He will need to take care of business against a very talented Ruiz first though.
Ruiz (32-1, 21 KOs) is one of the most talented fighters in the heavyweight division. He lacks top tier power but makes up for that with his hand speed and ability to throw combinations so well. Ruiz will be at a serious size disadvantage against Joshua though and will be giving up 4-inches in height, and more importantly, 8-inches in reach. Ruiz has a nice jab that he loves to stick to the body and he will often follow it with a good looking straight right hand upstairs. The California native also has a strong left hook and while he doesn't have the same type of power as Joshua he definitely has enough to earn his opponent's respect. Ruiz is at his best when he's mixing his attack upstairs and to the body and letting his hands go. Defensively Ruiz has proven himself to be very sturdy and has never been dropped as a pro.
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| Ruiz on the attack against Joseph Parker |
Ruiz certainly has the skills to compete with any heavyweight but against Joshua he will be at a disadvantage when it comes to size and power. Ruiz is going to need to stay busy with his jab and use it to work his way inside where he can try and catch Joshua with left hooks and right hands. He doesn't usually cut the ring off all that well but he will need to against the bigger, longer Joshua. If Ruiz can get to the pocket consistently his speed could give Joshua issues. Joshua won't need to work as hard to win this fight. He is much bigger and stronger and as long as he can keep Ruiz at the end of his punches he should be able to control rounds. Expect Joshua to use his jab a lot in an attempt to keep Ruiz on the outside while picking his spots to land his power punches and while he might not be as busy as he was in past fights, as long as he lands the power shots he should be fine.
PREDICTION: Andy Ruiz is going to give Anthony Joshua plenty of problems in this fight. His hand speed and combination punching will force Joshua to work hard for all 12 rounds because Ruiz won't be getting stopped in this fight. Ruiz won't be winning the fight either though. Joshua's ability to control the distance and his power punching will be the difference and he will come away with the close but clear unanimous decision.
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