Talking about venue and preparation, a lot goes with both. Aside adequate training and good nutrition plus good state of mind, a boxer and champion in the class of AJ must be wary of his environment especially the environment of his fights
STEPHEN AYA I Monday, June 03, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria- It hurts deeply seeing the video of this bout between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jnr….even as I can’t stop watching it …with a feeling that it should be a nightmare…and that someone needs to wake me up.
It even hurts me more when commentators now refer to AJ as former IBF, WBA and WBO champion….worst pain in my heart is when Ruiz is addressed as World Heavyweight Champion….especially when I remember that he stopped AJ on Round 7.
This UGLY fight reminds me of the beating of Samuel Okon Peter, the “Nigerian Nightmare” by Vitaly Klitschko which literally ended the career of the Nigerian. The memories of that fight still lingers even if with sour taste in our mouths.
For a boxer and a world heavyweight champion who hadn’t lost a professional fight like AJ to fall flat in the seventh round and be counted out hurts. For a champion to lose to an unfancied opponent in an undignifying manner is equally unimaginable and most painful …not with or in a knockout .
Seeing AJ crawl on the canvass and Ruiz standing over him as if suggesting “you are finished if you dare get up” is disheartening….and for AJ to speak the way he did after the fight as if suggesting, “I deserved to lose”….makes me think, he was obviously not prepared for this bout….and that is ridiculous….to think of a world champion.
AJ needs not be told at this stage of his career that no two fights or fighters are same. He needs not be told that great fighters and real champions don’t take ANY opponent for granted.
He needs not be told that a well prepared unrated opponent can disgrace an unprepared world champion. He needs not be told that the venue of a fight is key in and to every bout.
Talking about venue and preparation, a lot goes with both. Aside adequate training and good nutrition plus good state of mind, a boxer and champion in the class of AJ must be wary of his environment especially the environment of his fights.
This fight in the US is a bit worrisome given that AJ is not a “regular, familiar and friendly” face in the country. Not all the boxing stakeholders particularly those in US are comfortable with AJ’s position in world boxing.
Boxing promoters of high repute who are not British nationals won’t be pleased with the reign of AJ. This happened during the reign and era of undefeated world heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis who is British.
The “divide, politics and interests” in the boxing associations like WBA which is controlled by British, WBC controlled by America and the WBO, IBF among others which unify all titles have raised doubts and suspicions in dealings and activities of organisers, stakeholders and promoters. This rubs off on the boxers under these different associations and platforms.
AJ should know better to “prepare” adequately for the fight in the US. He should know what to do, where to train, what to eat, where to eat and who to prepare such while in the US. The world was waiting for the Deontay Wilder/Anthony Joshua fight which had the trappings of a war/fight of the decade given that both boxers control the WBC and WBA titles respectively….before this RUIZ MADNESS came up.
Could this fight be a set up to diminish AJ’s status and stop his reign and rise? Could it be a plot to “kill” his fight with Wilder which would have confirmed him (AJ) as world undisputable heavyweight champion? Perhaps a rematch with Ruiz will prove this.
AJ to say the least was very slow as the bout progressed into the seventh round leading to his knockout. He relaxed after rattling Ruiz earlier in round three or so and that he didn’t recover quick enough after his first fall was suspect. This is not the Anthony Joshua we used to know. This is not our AJ. Please give me a rematch fast.
