ANTHONY JOSHUA’S sparring partner has fired a warning to Andy Ruiz Jr ahead of their Saudi Arabia rematch by revealing the Brit’s drop in weight has made him “even more dangerous.”
American heavyweight Timothy Moten has been in camp with AJ for the past three months, having been tasked with helping the Londoner avenge the first defeat of his pro career.
Timothy Moten has been training with Anthony Joshua for months ahead of Andy Ruiz Jr rematchCredit: Instagram/ @mayhem_moten
The American believes AJ’s drop in weight has given him all the tools to reclaim his world titlesCredit: AFP or licensors
Moten, pictured with Marcus Rashford, studied Ruiz’s style to leave Joshua in the best possible shape for the Clash of the DunesCredit: Instagram/ @mayhem_moten
Watford-born Joshua has weighed in a whopping THREE STONE lighter than the Mexican after slimming down to just 16st 13lbs.
The 30-year-old tipped the scaled at under 17 stone for the first time since 2014, with fans worried that his trimmer physique might see him come undone against the big-punching Ruiz.
Yet in an exclusive interview with SunSport, Moten believes AJ has “all the tools” to reclaim the WBO, WBA, and IBF titles tonight.
He said: “I have been with him for three months. He is ready.
“Those belts are coming back with team AJ! [Whether] it is by way of KO, TKO, UD or SD, all we know is the end goal is to get that W.
“Speed plus accuracy means power, he has all the tools and the tools are all sharp, his power is huge, he is fast, and most importantly mentally sharp.
“The drop in weight has done nothing to his power and it has created an even more dangerous Joshua.”
The drop in weight has done nothing to his power and it has created an even more dangerous Joshua
Anthony Joshua’s sparring partner Timothy Moten
AJ had faced criticisms that he failed to prepare properly for June’s shock loss to Ruiz, after the Mexican was drafted in as a late replacement for Jarrell Miller.
Yet, Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn insisted the 6ft 6in Watford ace has since tailored his preparation for the Saudi Arabia rematch.
Part of that training involved drafting in Moten, who has had around 100 amateur fights since taking up boxing as a 12-year-old, to replicate Ruiz’s style.
But the Kentucky native was working as a carpet cleaner when he caught the attention of Hearn and David Ghansa (childhood friend and now camp manager) on social media.
Moten said: “Being persistent and having my following from my city help me get noticed.
“My height, weight and style are similar to Ruiz, of course, I’m not him but we have similar things.
“I have studied his style so I do somethings he does so Joshua is getting as close to a copy of Ruiz as he can get and that’s the goal with sparring – to try to imitate your opponent as much as possible to prepare you for war.”
While Joshua has slimmed down for the Clash of the Dunes, Ruiz has piled on more than a stone from the 19st 2lbs he was at Madison Square Garden.
Despite appearing to have trimmed down for their rematch, the Snickers lover bulked up to 20st 3lbs – just a stone short of his heaviest ever weight, which came on his debut as a 19-year-old in 2009.
Eddie Hearn revealed earlier in the week that he believed that the Mexican-American had tricked fans into thinking he had lost weight.
And Moten, who was unsurprised by AJ’s weight following the progress he has seen himself over the past three months, admitted he was shocked by Ruiz.
He added: “Makes you wonder if he had a solid camp and has been working hard.”
The Sun Sport’s John Hutchinson and Jack Figg predict a Joshua win during an in-depth preview ahead of Ruiz v Joshua II
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
