Andy Ruiz Junior claims Anthony Joshua has never faced as complete a fighter as him.
Ruiz has replaced drugs cheat Jarrell Miller as Joshua’s opponent for his US debut at Madison Square Garden on June 1 and says he is different to all of the world heavyweight king’s previous foes.
Ruiz, 29, who has taken the fight at just a month’s notice, said: “I have seen a lot of his previous fights, like Dillian Whyte and Carlos Takam, and they don’t have my style, my ability or my heavy-handed punches.
“June 1 is going to be a really exciting fight. Two big guys, hitting each other in the face, getting hurt.
“I’m the type of fighter who can do it all. I can box, I can move around, I can slip punches, I can throw punches and I can counter-punch.
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“I can move, I can box, I can throw a lot of punches and combinations. I’m here to shock the world.”
Ruiz, who was born in California, is a proud Mexican-American and his mission is to become the first world heavyweight champion from his ancestral homeland.
He fell short when he lost to Joseph Parker when they fought for the vacant WBO heavyweight title in 2016, which is his only defeat in 33 fights, and he is determined to upset Joshua.
“It’s going to mean a lot,” said Ruiz. “It would be a dream come true and I have a second chance to make history and become the first Mexican heavyweight champion of the world. I’m here to win.”
Joshua has meanwhile slammed Deontay Wilder for "starving fans" of the chance to see them face off in a heavyweight unification bout.
Wilder's promoter, Shelly Finkel, frustrated Joshua this week as he revealed they do not plan to revisit the fight until 2020 at the earliest.
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But Joshua accused Wilder of "making a name off the back of his success".
"It's a fan sport isn't it?" Joshua told Sporting News .
"Wilder's just starving the fans from an undisputed heavyweight championship fight.
"Wilder has smart people around him, he must know what he's doing or be saying it to try and throw me off, who knows?
