Anthony Joshua was left speechless when Andy Ruiz Jr. knocked him out for the World Heavyweight titles in their original encounter on June 1, 2019.
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It was the Britisher’s first and only loss of his pro boxing career, ending his 22-fight win streak. After the fight, Anthony Joshua was brutally scrutinized by his critics. However, he doesn’t consider it to be an ill-fate. Instead, he bills the loss as a blessing in disguise.
‘AJ’ newly connected with GQ and reflected on his loss to Ruiz Jr. He appeared optimistic about it and stated how he restructured himself from that point.
Anthony Joshua needed the loss to know himself
Joshua walked into the fight as a heavy favorite, while the Mexican was the underdog. The fight kicked off as expected; Joshua dominated his rival. It appeared to be an easy night for the Briton until Ruiz offered some serious action. In the seventh round, Ruiz struck down Joshua to cement a major upset in the history of heavyweight boxing.
Looking back at the loss, Joshua told GQ, “There were certain things I was talking about perhaps two years ahead of that loss, and the defeat just showcased them.
“I know people say crazy things like, ‘Oh, we were planning on that loss,’ but it really was a blessing in disguise. It highlighted everything I had been concerned about. After that it was simple: These are the changes I’ve been talking about, now you need to listen.”
Joshua reclaimed the titles in the rematch against Ruiz Jr in the same year. He claimed to have noted some positive sides from the first fight.
“Losing to Andy made me rethink and restructure. I took the positives out of it, but it wasn’t easy. My training camp was six weeks of pure hell.”
What’s next for ‘AJ’?
Joshua will defend his titles against Kubrat Pulev by the end of this year. If not for the COVID-19, the fight would have taken place by now.
However, it will happen shortly. As per Eddie Hearn, the bout is being targeted for December 12. That said, AJ continues to thrill his fans with frequent training videos on his social media.
