Anthony Joshua emphatically stated that Andy Ruiz is the “best heavyweight out there” ahead of the pair’s highly anticipated rematch in Saudi Arabia on 7 December.
‘The Clash on the Dunes’ will see Ruiz look to again best Joshua after his shock victory saw him take three title belts from the Englishman, and Ruiz vowed to win in similar fashion in Diriyah.
Three months before the encounter, the pair fired their verbal salvos in London. See how the press conference unfolded below:
"It's something amazing that my son did. Nobody believed he would win the fight," Andy Ruiz Senior says, before referring to his son as the "Mexican Rocky."
Anthony Joshua's trainer talks up his man's chances, suggesting he was caught a little off-guard by Ruiz's insertion into the first fight after Jarrell Miller was forced out.
"Everybody has a bad night, everybody fights a fighter when they are not on form. But it can be put right.
"It's all been a learning experience, a huge one for Anthony."
I do it for my kids, we sacrifice our lives. I still have that hunger. Look at those belts - do you think I want to lose them right away?
Joshua lost his WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight titles in one of the most high-profile shocks of the generation when unheralded Andy Ruiz Jr stopped him inside seven unforgettable rounds at New York’s Madison Square Garden on 1 June.
He has since agreed a deal to face Ruiz in an immediate rematch on 7 December in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia and is expected to bank a career-high payday as a result of his decision to box in the desert kingdom.
