Oleksandr Usyk proven spot on with clear answer on fighting Anthony Joshua or Andy Ruiz
Oleksandr Usyk’s comments about whether he’d rather fight Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr have stood the test of time as the latter’s career has spiralled
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Image: Getty Images)
Oleksandr Usyk’s 2019 stance on Anthony Joshua being a “harder fight” than Andy Ruiz Jr seems to have proved wise.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian achieved undisputed greatness in May, going 12 rounds with Tyson Fury before getting the nod from the judges in a split-decision win. Usyk added the WBC heavyweight belt to his collection of IBF, WBO and IBO straps to become the greatest heavyweight on the planet, with a flawless record of 22-0 in the squared circle.
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But on his way to undisputed greatness, the boxer has had to tackle some tough tests to put himself in contention. Back in July 2019, while holding a record of 16-0 and fresh off the back of a knockout win over Tony Bellew, Usyk was asked by Sky Sports who he would want to fight between Joshua and Ruiz Jr going forward.
Without blinking, Usyk immediately said: “Anthony Joshua at Wembley. I think it would be much harder for me to fight Joshua than Ruiz.” Usyk’s comments shocked the world at the time, with Ruiz having beaten Joshua via TKO a month earlier to win the IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. However, fast forward to 2024, and it seems as though the Ukrainian was right all along.
Joshua secured a comfortable unanimous decision over Ruiz in December 2019 to regain his titles, before achieving a knockout victory over Kubrat Pulev almost a year later. AJ and Usyk eventually got the fight they had yearned for in September 2021, albeit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium rather than Wembley.
And while Usyk won the bout via unanimous decision after 12 rounds, their immediate rematch in August 2022 was a far cagier state of affairs – with resulting scorecards of 113–115 (Joshua), 115–113, 116–112 (Usyk). Joshua since went on to atone for back-to-back losses with a four fight win streak over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou – and will face Daniel Dubios next month for the IBF heavyweight strap.
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Image:
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Ruiz Jr, meanwhile, has failed to challenge for another title since losing his rematch with Joshua in December 2019. While he defeated Chris Arreola in 2021, and bested Luis Ortiz in 2022, the heavyweight failed to appear in the ring at all last year. And his returning fight with Jarrell Miller on Sunday (August 4) was far from what fans of the sport were expecting after he was only able to clinch a draw with the then-26-1-1 man.
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While Miller managed a scorecard of 116-112, two judges had it 114-114 leading to a majority draw. Ruiz put it on “Big Baby” for the opening three rounds, but as he started to show signs of fatigue, Miller found his way back into the fight with dominance of his own.
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Ruiz Jr could now find himself working his way back up from the bottom of the heavyweight pile should he want to see a title fight in the near future. But at 34, it’s no easy task for the “Destroyer” – especially considering he’s had just three fights in total since his 2019 loss to Joshua. Ruiz Jr’s future at the top level is firmly in doubt, and it turns out Usyk was right all along.
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