Former Anthony Joshua foe Andy Ruiz Jr has laid out his prediction for a showdown between ‘AJ’ and Tyson Fury, who directly called his countryman out after victory in his comeback fight.
After 16 months of inactivity, Fury outclassed Arslanbek Makhmudov this past weekend, winning all 12 rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards as he handed the hard-hitting Russian a third career defeat and scored a first victory since 2023.
During the aftermath, there was only one name of the mind of the 37-year-old, as he called out Joshua, who was sittinf ringside, for their long-awaited clash following a decade of missed chances.
Ruiz, who shook up the world when he knocked Joshua out to claim the unified heavyweight world titles in 2019, told Casino.org that there is added intrigue to that fight now that Joshua is training with Oleksandr Usyk – who has twice beaten both men.
“Well, I’ve seen AJ training with Usyk, so I think if Usyk trains him really well, maybe AJ could change, maybe his style might become a little bit different. He’ll have that dog in him.”
‘The Destroyer’ then went on to say that he believes Joshua will trump ‘The Gypsy King’ and explained how he thinks he will do it, predicting a stoppage win for the man he faced twice.
“I think Anthony Joshua would win. I think he could take Fury out. If he pressures him and doesn’t let Tyson Fury box around and play his little games that he wants to play, then I think Joshua could win.”
“I think a lot of fighters look at his past and the stuff he’s been through and the losses, but every fighter can redeem themself. Every fighter is different in every fight. Like they say, style makes fights, so I think that’s one of the ways they underestimate him.”
Whilst Fury is keen for the fight to take place next, Anthony Joshua seems poised to face an alternate opponent in July, where victory should tee up a showdown with his rival before the end of the year.