HE has been the greatest box-office phenomenon in post-war British boxing.
A man who boasted, without much exaggeration, that his sell-out fights at Wembley and Cardiff’s Principality Stadium had become such grand occasions that they felt like “national holidays”.
Anthony Joshua is risking his entire career against Andy Ruiz Jr – another defeat would be catastrophicCredit: Mark Robinson Ltd
Yet here stands Anthony Joshua, capable of imperilling it all in a faraway Middle Eastern dust-bowl in front of a smattering of thirsty travelling fans.
There is a good reason why Joshua described the prospect of a second defeat by Andy Ruiz Jr as “catastrophic” when caught momentarily off-guard by a journalist’s question this week.
Suffer another such gloves-down moment in the Diriyah Stadium ring outside the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh tonight and his top-level career could be over.
Ruiz, the porky Mexican considered a no-hoper when they last entered the ring at New York’s Madison Square Garden on June 1, is now billed as the Brit’s unlikely nemesis.
When Ruiz ripped away Joshua’s WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight belts six months ago, the fallen champion’s vulnerability was laid bare in stunning fashion.
After an Olympic gold medal from London 2012, and 22 straight professional victories, here was the bitter taste of blood-spattered mortality.
Joshua was not just beaten but battered into submission, knocked down four times on his way to a seventh-round stoppage, after a left hook to the temple in the third round had scrambled his senses.
Mike Tyson regained the heavyweight title after his seismic defeat to rank outsider James “Buster” Douglas but he was never the same again.
Now that the “0” has gone from Joshua’s professional record, has his stomach for the fight vanished too?
An estimated purse of £66million in Saudi oil cash — win, lose or draw — can do strange things to a man.
Joshua, 30, has stated he is determined to offer a “f*** you” to his critics by retaining his titles — although he remains the clear favourite with the vast majority of the boxing media.
Much of the criticism is over the staging of this fight in Saudi Arabia, a controversial move which has further besmirched Joshua’s image as a people’s champion.
The regime here, while introducing gradual social change, remains brutal.
And while a trip to Las Vegas, New York or many other overseas destinations might have appealed to potential British travellers, Saudi is completely dry of alcohol and no place for a hedonistic break.
Joshua, leaner and far better prepared than last time, will surely be a cagier customer than when he was dethroned in the Big Apple.
The Brit is ten pounds lighter than in June at 16st 13lb, while Ruiz tipped the scales at a mighty 20st 3lb — having piled on more than a stone in the past six months. “He’s a big lad isn’t he?” said Joshua, “But it’s not about weight, it’s about hitting and not getting hit, it’s the sweet science, man.”
At a chaotic weigh-in outside Riyadh’s Al Faisaliah Hotel yesterday, Joshua ambled on to the stage before he had been announced by MC Michael Buffer.
And the jolly chubster Ruiz limited the amount of eyeballing at the face-off by wearing a wide-brimmed sombrero.
One concern for Joshua’s supporters is that their man may have trained too long and hard.
His bid for redemption has seen him ripping up his usual schedule and returning to the gym just three weeks after his shock defeat.
Joshua said: “On June 20, I started my training camp and I stayed in the gym whereas normally I would be doing all sorts of stuff. I started sparring 12 weeks from the fight, where normally I’ll spar five, six or seven weeks out.
“I have put more emphasis on boxing. You can really start to immerse yourself in the sweet science.
“But I didn’t give a f*** about the science before, I just came to fight.
“Now I’m learning about the sweet science again.
“Behind closed doors, I swear I work so hard mentally and physically to try and stay at the top. I spend hours perfecting my craft.
“As soon as I wake up in the morning I’m listening to stuff that has relevance to mental strength. The minute before I go to sleep I’m just thinking boxing.”
His preparation may have been meticulous, yet, having suffered a pummelling, how will he react if Ruiz catches him with another peach?
Ruiz has taunted Joshua by claiming he quit in the seventh.
And Joshua said: “He’s entitled to his opinion but I kept on getting up ready to fight.
“I was looking for an opportunity to get more time, like when my mouthguard went in my mouth.
“Now we go again. What he said doesn’t make me angry but I’m still going to punish him. That will come naturally, I think. I’m going to box a good fight.”
If he does, Joshua could open the door to a new golden era of heavyweight boxing which seemed likely after Deontay Wilder’s epic draw with Tyson Fury in Los Angeles, a year ago this week.
Since then all of those “big three” had seemed to be dodging one another, fighting bums for risk-free bucks.
Yet, of course, no heavyweight contest is without peril, as Ruiz Jr proved in New York.
Do it again and Joshua will resemble a very wealthy washed-up fighter — but a washed-up fighter all the same.
Jose Mourinho reveals he gave up the chance to go to Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr fight to lead Spurs out against Burnley
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
