ANTHONY JOSHUA gave his beloved mum a kiss as Andy Ruiz Jr warmly greeted her during a friendly pre-fight dinner on Thursday evening.
The British boxer, 30, was joined by his mother Yeta at the gala in Saudi Arabia ahead of Saturday night’s eagerly-anticipated rematch.
Anthony Joshua gave his mum a kiss at the pre-fight gala dinner in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd
Andy Ruiz warmly greeted AJ’s mum at the friendly dinner eventCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd
Andy Ruiz showed off his personalised bling at the eventCredit: Dave Thompson
While this weekend will be all about getting one over on each other, Thursday evening’s affair was far more amicable.
Ruiz – decked out in some personalised bling – even introduced himself to Joshua’s mum with a cheeky smile and a handshake – warmly received by Yeta.
AJ was floored four times en route to his shock defeat at the hands of Ruiz during June’s clash in New York.
The British star will be desperately hoping to win back his heavyweight world titles when he takes on the champ in Saudi Arabia.
But the pair have remained friendly in the build-up to the fight, with Joshua even jokingly asking the Mexican-American star “how do I beat you?”.
Eddie Hearn smiled with Joshua’s mum Yeta during the pre-fight sit-down mealCredit: Dave Thompson
Joshua didn’t leave his mum’s side at times during the dinnerCredit: Dave Thompson
When asked about his tactics for the fight, Joshua revealed: “If I’m six inches in front of Ruiz, all it takes for a man to miss a punch is six inches.
“So sometimes you haven’t even got to be running around the ring.
“I asked him upstairs, I said: ‘How do I beat you, then?’, he says: ‘Mate, you should move around a little.’
“Boxing is a sweet science of sport. I’m 6ft 6in, so it would be wrong of me in front of Ruiz and go toe-to-toe hooking.
“I’ve got to box to my attributes which is range and movement. My style is not what a scared boxer would do, I think it’s what a smart fighter would do.”
Joshua goes into the fight with a wholly different physique just six months on from his debut defeat in the US.
The Brit star could weigh in at under 17 stone for the first time in four years – having tipped the scales at 18st 2lbs for his win over Carlos Takam in 2017.
Fans have shared their concerns at the slimmed down frame, but others are excited about the prospect of a quicker, more agile AJ.
And former world champion David Haye is amongst those who believes the leaner look will reap the rewards in Riyadh.
Anthony Joshua looked in high spirits as he prepares for the rematchCredit: Dave Thompson
Anthony Joshua asks Andy Ruiz Jr ‘how do I beat you-‘ in face-to-face as humble pair embrace ahead of rematch
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
