Andy Ruiz Jr sends swift warning to 'big robot' Anthony Joshua: 'I don’t think he’s fought anybody like me'

Title bid: Andy Ruiz Jr wants to make history at Madison Square Garden on June 1
Getty Images
John Dillon1 May 2019

Andy Ruiz Jr launched an immediate attack on Anthony Joshua's boxing style on Wednesday after it was officially confirmed that he will take on Britain's world heavyweight champion next month.

Mexican-American Ruiz Jr has been named as the replacement opponent for Joshua's American debut at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 1.

It follows the axing of original opponent Jarrell Miller, who has been hit with a six-month ban following the failure of tests for banned stimulants.

California-born Ruiz Jr, 29, has a record of 32 wins and one defeat but is not ranked in the top 10 by the independent Ring magazine.

He is rated as the world's No11 by the WBA and has landed a surprise £3 million windfall by stepping in to face Joshua.

Although Ruiz Jr admits himself that he does not look in tip-top condition, he is known for his quick hand speed and is ranked at No15 by the IBF.

Promoter Eddie Hearn has been frantically scrambling to find a replacement for Miller, with veteran leading heavyweight Luis Ortiz of Cuba revealing early last week that he had rejected an offer to take his place.

Ruiz Jr said: "Being so tall, Joshua fights like a big robot. With my style, my speed and my movement, I don’t think he’s fought anybody like me.

"It’s going to be a whole different ball game for him. All the guys that he’s fought usually run around from him. I don’t think he’s good going back. I’m going to bring pressure, speed, and combinations to him.

Ruiz Jr last fought on April 20, when he secured a 21st knockout win against Alexander Dimitrenko
Getty Images

"A lot of people underestimated me and I’m used to that. My whole life people underrated me so I’m just going in there to take it all.

"I’m not going in there scared and I’m not going in there nervous. I’m going to go in there mad and to take what’s mine."

Unbeaten Joshua, 29, will be defending his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO world titles at the iconic Manhattan venue. Around 10,000 fans from Britain are expected to attend.

Standard Sport revealed last Friday that Ruiz Jr would be named as Miller's replacement.

Miller, 30, tested positive for the banned stimulants GW1516, HGH and EPO and was instantly refused a license for the June 1 date by the New York State Athletic Commission.

He has subsequently been handed a six-month suspension by the WBA, although there has been an outcry claiming the punishment is too lenient.

The suspension only excludes him from the WBA rankings, although their rival sanctioning bodies would acknowledge the ban - and no respectable state athletic commission in the US would license him while it stands.

Watford's Joshua will head for a training camp in Miami next week.

The 29-year-old believes he will pose an entirely new challenge for Anthony Joshua 
Getty Images

He said: "Ruiz is a different kind of challenge but one I embrace. We have worked in the boxing gym week-on-week and whoever is put in front of me at Madison Square Garden on June 1 will be dispatched in style. The rent will be collected.”

Ruiz Jr's sole defeat was in a challenge for the WBO world title in 2016 against Kiwi champion Joseph Parker in New Zealand, where he lost on a majority decision.

Joshua defeated Parker on points to win the WBO belt in Cardiff last August

Promoter Hearn added: “People talk about fighting AJ. Some even have to fill their bodies with performance enhancing drugs to try to beat him up. But but very few genuine fighters step up and take the challenge.

“In my opinion, this is a tougher test than Jarrell Miller. Andy punches harder and is much faster – this is going to be a war. Andy brings Mexican heart but he will meet the best heavyweight in the world in New York."

In Pictures | Anthony Joshua vs Alexander Povetkin | 22/09/2018

1/42

Ruiz Jr scored the 21st knockout win of his career with a fifth-round stoppage of Alexander Dimitrenko in California 10 days ago.

The fight was staged at a university campus next to the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer stadium on the undercard of a promotion featuring former world welterweight champion Danny Garcia.

The win catapulted him to the top of the list of contenders to replace the disgraced Miller following the rejection of terms by 40-year-old Ortiz - who has himself twice failed dope tests.

Ruiz Jr added: "This is my chance to make history. I want to be one of those greats like Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. I want to be in that category.

“This fight is going toe-to-toe with two guys smashing each other’s faces. I’m going in there to throw combinations like I’ve never done before."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in