2026-05-04 09:33:39

Andy Ruiz Jr. thinks he left lasting damage on Anthony Joshua in his shock heavyweight world title fight win in 2019.

The Mexican-American boxer pulled off a stunning upset against the British pugilist seven years ago and thinks that his knockout blow in the seventh round of the Madison Square Garden bout had long-term consequences for Joshua.

Ruiz Jr. told Vegas Insider: “Long story short, my really good friend, who’s a Doctor, told me, bro, after you hit him with that shot to the temple, he is not gonna recover.

“This was like two months after I fought Anthony Joshua, the first fight. I was like, what do you mean, doc? I think he’s gonna be good.

“And he is like, no, he is not gonna recover. Every time he gets hit right there, something’s gonna rattle in his brain. And I was like, what? No, I don’t think so. And what do you know?

“After he beat me (in the rematch), all these other fights he started losing. And so we’re like, what the heck is going on?”

Ruiz Jr. subsequently lost his world titles in a rematch against Joshua later that year and admits that he learned lessons after losing his discipline in preparation for the fight.

Asked which fight taught him the most, the boxer said: “I think the rematch with Anthony Joshua, because I had it all. I was training really hard. I did everything that I was supposed to do.

“But after I beat Anthony Joshua, I kind of scattered around. It’s like the world pulled me into that deep hole where I was over here, I was over there where I wasn’t focusing.

“It is like I totally forgot that I had the rematch against Anthony Joshua.”

Ruiz Jr. has only fought three times since losing to Joshua but still thinks he can compete in the ring for “two or three more years”.

The 36-year-old fighter said: “I think two, three more years. I want to fight these big guys that I’ve been wanting to fight since the beginning.

“So two or three more years. You have to remember, I’m still fresh as well. I haven’t been in crazy wars. I haven’t been knocked out or dropped.

“I’ve been dropped by Anthony Joshua. But I’m still fresh – resting, relaxing and kicking back.”

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