Did Andy Ruiz TKO affect Anthony Joshua as a boxer? Audley Harrison weighs in
Anthony Joshua reignited the British heavyweight boxing scene during the mid-to-late 2010s, but appears to have lost a step over recent years.
'AJ' made waves in the heavyweight division after winning 21 of his first 22 fights via KO/TKO, with his other victory being a unanimous decision win over Joseph Parker.
Joshua's TKO loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019 took fans by surprise, and despite beating Ruiz in the immediate rematch, it seems as though 'AJ' is still reeling from his first defeat.
During an exclusive interview with LegalSportsBooks, former Olympic heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison recently touched on the effect that losing against Ruiz may have had on Anthony Joshua's mentality.
Harrison compared the respective mindsets of a boxer who is undefeated and a boxer with several losses, and said this:
"When you keep your ‘0’, it gives you that aura. I know when I was undefeated I had that swagger. Once you lose that ‘0’, you’re going to have to rebuild. That’s where he [Joshua] is right now. He’s in a rebuilding process. The Usyk fights didn’t go his way but I think he’s got one more run in him, he’s just got to get it right"
Watch the interview below from 2:20:
Anthony Joshua followed his win over Andy Ruiz with a KO win against Kubrat Pulev. But 'AJ' then suffered back-to-back defeats to highly-skilled boxer Oleksandr Usyk, which once again halted the momentum he had tried to regain.
A recent unanimous decision win over Jermaine Franklin appeared to have set the wheels in motion for a blockbuster meeting with "The Bronze Bomber" Deontay Wilder.
However, it now seems as though Joshua is likely to take on Dillian Whyte for the second time in August.
Eddie Hearn confirms plans for Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte 2
Eddie Hearn recently spoke to Boxing Social about the future plans of heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua.
'AJ' and Tyson Fury were reportedly in talks to fight later this year, but it seems that the clash between Britain's best heavyweight boxers will no longer take place.
Hearn has now confirmed that the O2 arena in London has been booked for August 12. The boxing promoter stated that the fight being targeted for that night is Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte 2.
The pair faced off in the squared circle in 2015 after a heated build-up, with 'AJ' claiming victory with a seventh-round TKO win.
Whilst talking to Boxing Social, Hearn said this:
"We have the O2 held for [August 12th]. We want to make AJ against Dillian Whyte. That's the fight we want to make. We still have to close that deal..."
Watch the interview below from 28:30: